Saturday 31 May 2014

The 2013 FOCA Year in Review

The 2013 FOCA Year in Review has the overview you need to answer the question, "What does FOCA do?" Click below to access the digital version:


http://bit.ly/1rsQeqm FOCA

Thursday 29 May 2014

Bugs at the Cottage

Everything you need to know about cottage bugs—and how to avoid them

Groceries stowed, kids in bed, you take a moment on the deck to enjoy a spectacular sunset. But…nearby, a female mosquito has detected your breath. And she’s not the only one. The bloodthirsty gang follows your carbon dioxide emissions to their source, forcing you to retreat inside with several itchy puncture wounds

Read the rest by clicking on the link
http://bit.ly/1lVq6Mt Cottage life
Some great information 

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Special Updates for FOCA Members Elert

Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations
Special Updates for FOCA Members Elert


Hot Topics for 2014:

Looking for material for your local association meeting or upcoming newsletter?

Read the Event Summary and review the slide presentations from the 2014 FOCA Annual General Meeting and Spring Seminar, held March 1st in Toronto:

Looking for a speaker for your local association meeting?

Contact FOCA to be connected to the following partners who have offered some availability to attend local AGMs this summer:

Recent Survey Results: Cottage Country Waste Management

Thank you to all who participated in the January 2014 FOCA survey! Working with the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education, we investigated challenges and barriers to waste management in rural municipalities across Ontario. Communication between residents and municipalities emerged as a key factor. Larger municipalities appear better-equipped to provide education or special disposal options for electronic waste, large furniture and more.

New FOCA Survey: Hot Topics for 2014 + Cottage Usage Trends

Please take a few minutes to participate in FOCA's latest survey by clicking this link:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/FOCAsurvey2014

The first half of the survey includes questions about the issues that may be facing your association this year. The second half has been generously sponsored by our corporate partners at Xplornet, to better understand how and when we use the cottage, and what role, if any, internet service plays in the mix.


Link to the Full Elert here

http://bit.ly/SeyLSz FOCA

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Looking to spruce up your dock?

50 gorgeous products to help you deck out your dock

Looking to make your dock more that a place to tie your boat up? Take a look at products in the link below. I think there is something for everyone

http://bit.ly/1jfVy6j Cottage Life 

Some great products/ideas for your Dock

Monday 26 May 2014

Looking to speed up your breakfast prep & cook time at the cottage?

20 breakfast hacks to make the most of your weekend

Fortunately, there are some genius breakfast hacks out there to make your mornings quick and tasty. To make long-weekend mornings at the cottage a cinch so you can find your beach, we’ve compiled 20 breakfast hacks that are easy to make and easier to enjoy

Click on the link below to go to the Cottage Life Blog

http://bit.ly/1orYClr Cottage Life

I love breakfast at the cottage

Sunday 25 May 2014

Looking for a new Barbecue?

8 “if I won the lottery” barbecues

Everyone knows that you can have a perfectly fantastic cottage barbecue with your grampa’s rusty old charcoal kettle—you know, the grill that has long been equal parts metal and carbonized meat bits. But isn’t it nice to dream, just once in a while, about what you’d do with something that doesn’t have a badminton racquet for one of its legs.  


http://bit.ly/1t5L13f Cottage Life


Some very nice units, I can dream.....

Critters cute, but conniving

Critters cute, but conniving

The trouble with chipmunks is they are unbelievably cute. It’s hard to paint them as villains when all you want to do is give them your peanuts. “Aw, look at that. It has three whole peanuts in its mouth. Let’s give it another one.” And off it scampers, leaving the peanut-less people folk with a sense of connecting to nature.


Read the rest at the link below


http://bit.ly/1plTYoT Orillia Packet and Times

Saturday 24 May 2014

Going to be at the cottage on Father's Day weekend, you might want to run over to Midland

Cottagers and chefs will face off at Midland’s Annual Butter Tart Festival and Contest

The Simcoe County town will host the second annual Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival and Contest along King Street on Saturday June 14, 2014 (which also happens to be Father’s Day weekend). More than 50,000 tarts will be on hand, baked by a mix of amateur and pro pastry chefs from across the province.

For more information click on the link below

http://bit.ly/1orWnyp Cottage Life 

Sorry that I will not be at the cottage for that weekend 

May FOCA Elert

Some of the highlights


Ontario Election 2014
FOCA wants you to VOTE on June 12th

The issues facing Ontario are significant and far-reaching, and it is incumbent upon all eligible voters to make an informed decision - and VOTE - in the June 12th Provincial election.

You only get one vote in the election, even if you have residences in more than one electoral district.

NOTE: FOCA requested clarification from Elections Ontario about whether you can choose to vote in your cottage district in the upcoming election.
The answer is, "yes," for some people, under certain conditions and with proper identification.

See the official response from the Chief Electoral Officer, and get more details about the vote here:

FOCA 2014 Elections webpage



FOCA Year in Review

Read the FOCA 2013 Year in Review publication for an overview of all the work FOCA does, and all the benefits of supporting FOCA.

Associations: please circulate this link to all your members, and remind them that they are FOCA members, too!



ONCA on hold
Since the call of the June 12 Provincial Election, Bill 85 and the technical amendments required to bring ONCA (the Ontario Non-Profit Corporations Act) into force is now dead in the water.

This means ONCA will not likely be proclaimed until after 2015, so FOCA associations will have plenty of time to get aligned with the new law.

FOCA and our partners at Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) will remain focused on the progress of this change in the law, which will affect all Ontario non-profit organizations. BLG and FOCA will be releasing further information about how to be prepared in the weeks and months to come.


And much much more read the full Elert at the link below

http://bit.ly/1t5H8va FOCA May 2014 Elert

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Yard Waste Collection

Next Week W/O May 25 2014 is the last Yard Waste Pick-up of the spring for the beach. Make sure your yard waste is out by the curb by 7AM Monday May 26...