Georgian Bay Islands NP yanks docks at Bone Island

Georgian Bay Islands National Park has taken a big step in what we might call “de-intensifying” its holdings beyond Beausoleil Island by removing the docks at the heart of Bone Island, just north of Tabasakwa Island, in the Cognashene. These docks provided a tie-up/party zone for boats in what is otherwise a fairly generous anchorage. In announcing the closure on its website, the park says: “The core offer of the park is located on Beausoleil Island and as part of ongoing efforts to improve service that provide visitors with meaningful opportunities to connect with the natural heritage of the national park, the dock that was moored offshore at Bone Island has been removed. This dock did not connect to the island itself, and Parks Canada has no visitor services or visitor infrastructure on Bone Island.”

We hadn’t visited this dock in many years when we dropped by last September for a brief inspection and had it all to ourselves. We’re not “dock people” so we won’t miss it.

In the same announcement, the park notes:

• Tobey Dock construction.
  The construction of Tobey Dock is a large and complex project and work on the dock is very dependent on weather conditions. While staff at Georgian Bay Islands National Park tried hard to be able to reopen the dock when the park opens for the season on May 21, delays in construction have pushed the reopening into June.
• Tonch South dock is closed.
  Tonch South Dock, which was damaged by fluctuating water levels and closed will reopen for mooring once repairs are completed later in 2022. Renewal of this dock requires work below the water line, which is restricted until after July 15, to protect fish.