Parks Canada’s Ability to Transport Visitors to and from Beausoleil Island Cannot Keep Up with Demand.
In 2022, Parks Canada released a report titled Georgian Bay Islands National Park of Canada and Beausoleil Island National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan
You can access the full report here. The following are excerpts from the report:
Established in 1929, Georgian Bay Islands National Park is Canada’s smallest national park, consisting of 50 islands and properties covering a total area of 14 square kilometres. The park is located approximately 160 kilometres north of Toronto, Ontario and is within a half-day’s drive for millions of Canadians. Park lands can only be accessed by boat. Visitors arrive by private watercraft, commercial operators, or the park-operated DayTripper shuttle boat.
Though small in land area, Georgian Bay Islands National Park is widely recognized for its ecological significance. In a combined area of only 14 square kilometres, spread out over dozens of islands, there are known to be at least 25 plants and animals that are listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. Most notably, the park provides habitat for over 30 species of amphibians and reptiles, more than any national park in Canada, of which 13 are listed as species at risk. For these reasons, the park is recognized as an Important Amphibian and Reptile Area by the Canadian Herpetological Society.
The operations base in Honey Harbour has become the launch point to facilitate more access to the national park and national historic site for those visiting for the day and those arriving to stay in roofed accommodations. Parks Canada’s ability to transport visitors to and from Beausoleil Island cannot keep up with increasing demand. In addition to those who are arriving with reservations, Honey Harbour can become congested with day-trippers, visitors launching their own canoe or kayak, or those stopping in for information. The increased number of people coming to the operations base in Honey Harbour has put pressure on the existing infrastructure, which can cause negative experiences and safety concerns with respect to traffic congestion. Visitors without reservations are turned away each day in peak season, and new options are required to reduce congestion at Honey Harbour and provide visitors with more opportunities to experience the park and national historic site.
Honey Harbour is designated as one of the Aspiring Geopark’s signature geosites.
Is the Georgian Bay Geopark Initiative Harming the UNESCO Brand?
What happens to public trust in UNESCO when an initiative that has neither been designated nor submitted an application repeatedly places the UNESCO brand at the centre of its public messaging?
What Does “Nominate Georgian Bay” Mean?
The new Georgian Bay Geopark Executive Director, Jeff MacInnis, has recently been asking people on his personal Facebook page to “nominate” Georgian Bay to become a UNESCO Global Geopark by simply saying “YES” in the comments.
There is just one problem: saying “YES” in a Facebook comment isn’t how you nominate a UNESCO Global Geopark.
What Are Prospective Donors Being Told (and Not Being Told) About the Georgian Bay Geopark?
The Georgian Bay Geopark’s Small Change Fund page is aimed at prospective donors and currently shows $831,803 raised toward a $1 million goal. It describes the initiative in terms of partnership, community involvement and open dialogue. The issue isn’t that a fundraising page presents a project positively. The question is whether prospective donors are being…
Is the Georgian Bay Geopark really a grassroots community-led effort?
The home page of the Georgian Bay Geopark website claims: “The Georgian Bay Geopark Initiative is a grassroots, community-led effort exploring how this internationally recognized model could help celebrate, understand, and safeguard one of Canada’s most remarkable regions.” Is it grassroots and community-led? Fact or fiction? Let’s start with the Board of Directors for the…
Georgian Bay Geopark invites people to join them as they “explore” the creation of a UNESCO Global Geopark for Georgian Bay.
They pose a big question: Could Georgian Bay and the North Channel become a UNESCO global geopark? We decided to take them up on their offer. Let’s explore! We started by exploring Manitoulin Island. All 9 municipalities on Manitoulin are united in their opposition to the geopark. So are all 6 First Nations represented by…
Is the Georgian Bay Geopark a UNESCO project?….or not? You decide.
This slide was presented to the Township of the Archipelago on June 19. It looks like the Georgian Bay Geopark must be affiliated with UNESCO.. Or is it? Here are the facts: Why does the Georgian Bay Geopark constantly cite UNESCO despite having no affiliation whatsoever? Fact or fiction? You decide.
The Georgian Bay Geopark Can No Longer Call Itself an Aspiring Geopark.
As of April 2026, the Canadian Geoparks Network has removed the Georgian Bay Geopark from their website entirely. There has been no official statement from ccUNESCO or the Canadian Geoparks Network regarding why they no longer acknowledge the Georgian Bay Geopark as a project. A little bit of research uncovered the following…. A requirement for…
Canada has 5 UNESCO Geoparks
The Georgian Bay Aspiring Geopark is not like them. At 48,000 square kilometers, it is 6.1 times larger than Canada’s largest geopark, and 86.5 times larger than Canada’s smallest geopark. With a planned 100+ geosites, it will have 3.6 times more sites than Canada’s largest geopark, and 9.1 times more sites than Canada’s smallest geopark….
