New to Camping?

Boating

Take a Boating Safety Course
No matter your age or experience, you should take a boating safety course.
Please visit http://safeboatingcourse.ca/

Take a Course — Get Your Card
The Office of Boating Safety recommends that all boaters take a boating safety course. Having more knowledgeable boaters on our waterways will help reduce the number of injuries and incidents and will save lives. To find out where you can write the test and/or take a course in your area, review this List of all TC-accredited course providers.

Age-Horsepower Restrictions
Youth under 16 years of age may not operator boats with motors over certain horsepower limits unless someone 16 years of age or older is in the boat and directly supervising them. Youth under 16 may not operate a personal watercraft (PWC) under any circumstances. Are you old enough to operate a motorized boat? Find out from the chart below.

• Safety roles and Tips For Personal Watercraft (PWC) Use
• Finding the Right Flotation Device for your Child

Camper Etiquette

How To Ensure You and Other Campers Have a Great Experience

Allow others to enjoy their camping trip. Most campers drive for hours and plan far in advance for their camping trips to our beautiful parks and campgrounds. Some of the reasons for going camping are to get away from it all, and spend time with our families breathing the fresh air and taking in the beautiful surroundings. That is why it can be very disappointing to finally arrive at the campground only to have people at other campsites making your trip hard to enjoy. If we all follow these simple guidelines, everyone at the park should be able to have a great camping trip.

• Do not walk through other campsites, even if it would make it easier to get to washrooms or other park locations. Walking through another person’s campsite is very intrusive and many people will find this offensive.
• Keep your pet on a leash at all times, it can be a nuisance to have other pets on your campsite when you are trying to relax. Even though you may not feel it is a big deal, not everyone wants your dog running through their campsite.
• Do pick up after your dog. Nothing spoils a walk more than stepping in dog-do (especially with bare feet). Bring a scoop or plastic bag to pick up and dispose of properly. Special bags can be found at pet supply stores. Some camp stores carry them as well.
• Always fully extinguish your campfire when sleeping or leaving your campsite. Not only is it dangerous and against most park regulations, but the smoke can become overwhelming when a campfire is not maintained properly.
• Be thoughtful when using a radio, observe radio-free zones and take the time to ask if the radio is too loud for your campsite neighbors.
• Minimize noise around the campfire late at night. Although everyone loves sitting around the campfire, if your group stays up late at night, understand that many other campers are trying to sleep.
• Don't leave trash at your campsite. The smell alone will bring many visitors while you sleep or when you leave your site for a hike. When found by raccoons or other critters, the noise of them fighting for the food scraps and the fact that they will drag the trash throughout the park make this a nuisance. Take your trash to the park provided garbage bin and recycling containers.
• Don't wash your dishes at the water fountain or tap. When filling up your water container at the water tap, no one wants to wait while others wash dishes as that leaves a mess and odour that is unpleasant. Wash dishes on your campsite and dump any remaining waste in the waste vault or park provided location.
• Keep your fire under control. Although you may enjoy a bonfire, this type of activity can become intrusive and overwhelming to your campsite neighbors. This may also be against park regulations and can become hard to manage.
• Introduce yourself to your campsite neighbors. There is no better way to start off your camping vacation than to say "hello" and introduce yourself to your campsite neighbors. Knowing your neighbors helps with campsite security while you are away from your site, and may come in handy if you forgot any items at home like sugar or sunblock.

Campfires and Firewood

Campfires

Open Fires During a Restricted Fire Zone
Under the Forest Fires Prevention Act commercial campground owners and operators have the authority to allow their guests to continue to enjoy campfires during Restricted Fire Zone periods provided certain criteria are met and strict conditions are applied. Also, portable charcoal equipment (i.e. BBQs, Hibachis, etc.) are not legal for use during a Restricted Fire Zone except close to a dwelling or in an organized campground.

The Forest Fires Prevention Act Regulations states the following:
A person may have a campfire or use a charcoal installation during a Restricted Fire Zone provided they are in an organized campground that meets all of the following criteria:

Campground:

• Offers camping facilities to the public on a temporary basis
• Allows camping only in cabins or designated campsites
• Has campsites or cabins that are accessible by motor vehicle as defined by the Highway Traffic Act.
• Has adequate fire suppression equipment (i.e. shovels, axes, water pails, etc.) to control and extinguish a fire and the equipment is within ten minutes of any campfire site
• Has staff on site 24 hours a day who are familiar with the location and use of the fire suppression equipment
• Has reliable two-way communications to obtain assistance should a fire escape

The owner/operator of the campground must expressly permit campfires and the use of charcoal installations. The final decision resides with the campground owner/operator.

Should the campground owner/operator decide to permit campfires, the following regulations must be followed:

• Campfires are not allowed between 10:00am and 7:00pm
• The owner/operator clearly posts when campfires are allowed
• The owner/operator provides all guests with printed information on safe campfires
• The campfires must be in a permanent fire installation (i.e. fire grate, fireplace or fire pit) that cannot be moved to an unsafe location
• The campfire must be at least 3 metres from any forest or woodland, and the area within the 3-metre radius must be free of all flammable material
• The space above the campfire must be at least 3 metres from any overhanging vegetation
• Don't start a fire unless conditions will allow the fire to burn safely from start to extinguishment
• Never leave your fire unattended. Leave a responsible person in charge
• Be sure you have tools handy to control the fire. A pail of water and a shovel are ideal.

Remember, any person who starts a fire outdoors must take all necessary steps to tend the fire, keep it under control, and extinguish the fire before leaving the site.

Can I Still Go Camping in a Restricted Fire Zone?
Yes, by all means, go camping, hiking, fishing, have fun and enjoy our most precious natural resource, but if you need heat for cooking and warmth, you’ll have to take along a portable gas or propane stove.

When travelling in a Restricted Fire Zone, exercise extreme caution. Watch your propane or gas equipment carefully. Smoke only when stationary, never while walking or working in the bush, and make sure that all matches or cigarettes are dead out before disposing of them. When an area has been designated a Restricted Fire Zone, you know the situation must be serious. Use your bush sense and act accordingly. Be careful with anything capable of starting a fire.

Are There Other Stoves or Installations I Can Use During a Restricted Fire Zone?
Yes. As previously mentioned, you can use a portable gas or propane stove anywhere and at any time provided it is at least 1 metre from any flammable materials and you use extreme caution. You can also use a charcoal installation (i.e. BBQ) but only if you are within 100 metres of a dwelling you own or legally occupy. In addition, your installation must be at least 1 metre from any flammable material and you must completely extinguish and safely dispose of all ashes and coals before the installation is moved or left unattended. You can use your outdoor wood burning stove or wood burning furnace provided you are within 100 metres of a dwelling you own or legally occupy. In addition, the stove or furnace must be at least 5 metres from any forest area; at least two metres from any flammable material; and the stove or furnace must be situated on bare rock, mineral soil or non-combustible material extending at least two metres in all directions from the stove or furnace.
You cannot have a campfire even in an outdoor fire grate, fire place or fire pit.

What Else?
The most important thing to remember about a Restricted Fire Zone is that open fires, including campfires, are illegal. The only exception is in organized campground and parks, where if strict criteria are met, the campground operator may allow campfires and charcoal BBQs but only during certain hours and under very strict controls. So, if you see a fire in a restricted fire zone (except in a campground or park) chances are it’s a forest fire and should be reported to the Ministry of Natural Resources right away. The sooner we can get to it, the better our chances of putting it out quickly.

So look for and obey the Restricted Fire Zone signs, and report any forest fires to the Ministry. These are two positive things you can do to help us keep our forests green for everyone to enjoy.

How to Safely Build a Campfire
If you're going camping or plan to have a campfire, follow these tips so you can enjoy your campfire safely:

1. Choose a Site

• Pick a site that is close to a water source and sheltered from the wind.
• Build your fire on a rock surface or bare dirt.
• Build your fire at least 3 metres away from logs, stumps, trees and overhanging branches.
• Build your fire 15 metres away from buildings or tents.

2. Prepare the Site

• Clear a space (about 2 metres wide) where the fire will be.
• Make sure you remove pine needles, grass, leaves and twigs.
• Scrape the area right down to the soil.
• Be sure you have a pail of water and a shovel to control the fire.

3. Build Your Campfire

• Keep your fire small - it shouldn't be bigger than 1 metre high and 1 metre wide.
• Small fires are safer, easier to control and easier to put out.
• A small fire will also keep your cooking tools from blackening and will let you get close enough to cook

4. Stay Nearby

• Never leave a campfire unattended.
• If you start a campfire, you are responsible for tending the fire, ensuring it is kept under control and extinguishing it.

For more information please contact the Ministry of Natural Resources at http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca for the most current information on fire bans in the province.

For more information, visit www.mnr.gov.on.ca

Firewood

You can help us protect our environment from the spread of destructive pests. Don't move firewood or other types of wood from regulated areas. This includes trees, nursery stock, pruned branches, and logs.

The Asian Long-horned Beetle is a destructive pest which attacks hardwood trees, including maple, elm, poplars, birch, and willow. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is killing ash trees in Ontario, and control measures are in place to prevent its spread. Native to Asia, these beetles have no natural predators in Canada. If allowed to spread, they have the potential to kill millions of trees across Canada in our cities, parks and forests.

Restrictions Imposed on the Movement of Firewood
Agriculture and Agri- Food Minister has issued a Ministerial Order to slow the spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive type of beetle that attacks and kills ash trees.

The Problem
Moving firewood, even just a few kilometres, can spread invasive species to our forests. Hidden under the bark where you can't see them, pests are moved across Canada. It might seem difficult to imagine, but something as simple as bringing your own firewood when you travel to or from your favourite campsite could threaten and destroy thousands, even millions, of trees.

What you can do: Don't move firewood.

• Buy and burn local firewood only.
• Learn where your firewood comes from.
• Find out if you are living in or travelling to an area regulated for an invasive pest.
• Leave natural items in their natural habitats.

Potential Impact
These pests can cause trees to disappear from our forests, cities, streets and parks. This can affect air and water quality, as well as natural food sources. It can deprive citizens of shade and animals of habitat while damaging private property and reducing land value.

Moving Firewood To or From Certain Places Can Be Against the Law
You could face penalties of up to $50 000 and/or prosecution if you move firewood out of an area regulated for an invasive species unless you have prior approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Stop the Spread of Invasive Insects and Diseases
An invasive species can be any plant, animal, aquatic life or micro-organism that spreads when introduced outside of its natural distribution, and causes serious and often irreversible damage to our ecosystems, economy, and society.

For more information please visit the CFIA's website at www.inspection.gc.ca or contact the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342.