Introduction

I was born and raised in Tobermory, Ontario, a small town on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. Our house on Big Tub Harbour was a beautiful setting and off our dock were two shipwrecks; the City of Grand Rapids and the Sweepstakes. A very cool part about Tobermory is that it is surrounded by not one, but two, national parks. Bruce Peninsula National Park covers much of the land and Fathom Five National Marine Park protecting the water and islands.

Now, growing up in a tourist town you learn that sharing your incredible back yard with others is just part of the deal and I learned to embrace the enthusiasm of visitors and enjoyed the company. Tour boats would come in and out of Big Tub Harbour on a regular basis, dive boats on Sunday morning, and as the industry grew we eventually saw kayaks and then more and more tour boats. It seems everyone is keen to glimpse the sunken ships at the end of the harbour.

And so it began. Slowly, it crept upon the residents of Big Tub Harbour. The boat traffic grew from a background activity to a parade of boats. The boats grew in size and in frequency and the residents of Big Tub Harbour became concerned.

Through this blog, I hope to share the concerns raised in regard to the uncontrolled boat traffic in Big Tub Harbour (part of Fathom Five National Marine Park) and the events that unfolded.