Supercharged French Desserts
I recently picked up the Spring 2023 copy of On The Bay in the lobby of the Westin Trillium House at Blue Mountain and was first impressed by the glossy cover art. I was particularly drawn to the article “Edible Architecture” about YF Patissier-Chocolatier in Creemore. The story was very well-written and the pictures had us craving some authentic French desserts.
On our way home, my partner and I decided to visit the shop, located across the road from Creemore Springs Brewery. I had a very nice-tasting smoked meat on a baguette and tried the pain au chocolat for dessert, which was buttery, flaky and delicious. We also bought some colourful pralines that literally looked like jewels. The service was very friendly. We can’t wait to go back. Thank you for the interesting story.
Graham,
Mississauga
Every now and again, I find that you have supercharged moments. Biting into YF Patissier-Chocolatier’s apricot pistachio baked tart for the first time last summer was one of those moments.
It instantly brought me back to when I lived in Beaune, in Burgundy, in my twenties, when I would bite into one of Madame Bouchet’s tartes aux abricots—those funny-looking puff pastries that resemble a couple of egg yolks on pastry.
In fact, so strong was the memory that this taste sensation brought on, I was compelled to call YF and tell them it was the best French pastry I had tasted this side of the pond since I left France all those years ago. My only regret is that it is a 40-minute drive from home. But there again, maybe that’s not such a bad thing!
Eimear,
Clarksburg
Pumped Storage a Serious Issue
I am sorry to see the misleading two-page ad from TC Energy in your Spring 2023 issue. And enough with stories of the wealthy in their multimillion-dollar homes! It is getting to the point of being in poor taste. I hope that you will assign your writers to some more serious issues, such as the outrageous proposal of TC Energy’s pumped storage facility, which is neither “Powered by Meaford” nor owned by “Ontario Pumped Storage,” as they are constantly asserting. TC Energy’s impact on Georgian Bay and the town of Meaford is a story and a potential reality. You have a platform, please use it responsibly.
Hazel Milne,
Thornbury
Thank you for your letter, Hazel. As a magazine whose business model is based upon advertising, we must allow advertisers of all initiatives to access our pages. Yes, sometimes this does mean developers of controversial projects. However, we recognize that development and industrial corporations often have multimillion-dollar PR budgets. Hence, to level the playing field, On The Bay continues to donate advertising space to environmental groups who advocate for conservation. In previous issues, we’ve donated the space to the Save Georgian Bay group, and in our current issue, we are donating the space to the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust.
We also continue our duty of unbiased reporting on environmental stories (see the article about the Ontario Pumped Storage Project in this issue, page 86). We hope that our publishing activities foster awareness and discussion—and influence politicians and decision-makers to act in the best interests of our region, its people and its natural areas.
—David Loopstra, Publisher
A Home of Contention
I enjoyed going through your Spring 2023 issue. On The Bay is always very informative and resourceful. Thank you for promoting our community, its people and environs. It’s through magazines like yours that people learn about our area and decide to relocate, contributing to a vibrant Collingwood.
However, I would like to raise a point of contention about your feature home (“How to Make Big Feel Super Cozy,” Spring 2023). The builder and almost all of the suppliers are not local. Many of us go out of our way to shop local and to use local providers, so I believe it would have been easy to select a feature home that also showcased “local.”
Also, Collingwood is facing a housing crisis with the runup in prices, which causes us to have a significant shortage of essential workers and retail employees. These people can’t afford to live here. So why promote an 8,000-square-foot home which is unnecessary in a climate-changing world? The greenhouse gases used to build and furnish this home as well as the long-term call for heat is mammoth and simply irresponsible.
Please endeavour to be more socially responsible and aware in your selection of homes to feature. I know you share all the community concerns that I’ve mentioned.
Deborah Ise,
Collingwood
I just read through your Spring 2023 edition. I had to go take a Gravol to counter the nausea of looking at a shiny magazine so obviously dedicated to the advertising of expensive things you can buy if you have lots of money. Interesting how you feature an 8,000-square-foot “home” and an article on the housing crisis in the same issue. Anything more than enough is excess. That’s the last issue I’ll pick up.
Carol Warner,
Markdale
Deborah and Carol, thank you for your thoughtful feedback. You raise some really good points. We understood the juxtaposition between the 8,000-square-foot home feature and the Bill 23 affordable housing article. These are two opposing realities we face in the communities around Southern Georgian Bay. We believe it’s important to include insights from both sides. Also, in our editorial content, we endeavour to highlight local as much as possible, including in our home feature. Unfortunately, the home in our Spring 2023 issue did not have local trades. We are doing our best to ensure this does not happen again
—Roger Klein, Chief of Content
Pretty River Parking Problems
The sign says, “The Blue Mountains Welcomes You.” When you travel up the Pretty River Road now, you don’t feel welcomed. Instead, you are greeted by a billboard that states, “NO ROADSIDE PARKING FOR THE NEXT 4.5 KM.”
These new parking restrictions instituted last fall by the Town of The Blue Mountains (TBM) choke off access to the south side of the 808-hectare Pretty River Valley Provincial Park for anglers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.
The concern is due to congestion at one of the Bruce Trail access points. This is not new, but has been exacerbated by the increase of people seeking nature during the pandemic. At times there could be 50-plus cars parked along the narrow stretch of road next to the trailhead. The concern is real as the road is narrow and lacks sufficient shoulders in many locations for pulling over safely.
While I understand and appreciate these concerns, the TBM’s solution is heavy-handed and narrow-minded. They chose what was easiest for them without compromise. They cut off the entire valley 365 days of the year. The town could have set up controlled parking for some or all of the year, and allowed single-side parking where acceptable.
In collaboration with Ontario Parks, the only parking for the valley the TBM has provided has its own list of concerns: snowmobiles, hikers and hunters are bottlenecked onto the same trail; the steep, rocky access trail from the parking lot is restrictive to those with physical impairments and requires crossing at a blind corner; and, anglers wishing to access the river must walk the road for 1.7 kilometres.
I have had many discussions with the TBM, Ontario Parks and MPP Brian Saunderson to illustrate these problems and propose improvements. I have offered my voluntary support to work with all parties. None have accepted! I am sharing this story as a concerned outdoorsman, for I fear the worst if this is left to the politicians and bean counters!
Ian Hockley,
Wasaga Beach
Three Stage Trail Closures Are Shortsighted
As a mountain biker, hiker, snowshoer and trail maintenance guy, I wanted to give my perspective on the recent closure of many trails at Three Stage (see article, “The Shifting Landscape on Mountain Bike Trails,” page 42).
I discovered Three Stage in the late ‘90s. From my first visit, it became clear that the terrain and trails were uniquely challenging and of such high quality—in my opinion, the best in southern Ontario—that I decided this was where I wanted to live. I wasn’t alone. Many of my friends moved here in part because of the riding.
Mountain biking is big business in Collingwood. There are more bike shops per capita than any other place in Ontario. The government didn’t spend a cent creating Three Stage, but it reaps the economic rewards.
Think of Collingwood without skiing or without 50 percent of the ski runs. Mountain biking may not be as big as skiing but it’s still a very significant portion of our local economy and pastimes. We ski in the winter and we ride in the summer. It’s that simple. Take the riding away and you’re ripping our hearts out.
We have something very special here. We should be building on it rather than limiting it. Look at Quebec. With massive provincial support, they’ve opened up several top-quality mountain bike centres that draw people from all over the continent. Thousands of Ontarians travel to Quebec, Vermont and Arkansas to ride while we are shutting trails down. It’s madness.
Trails got shut down, with threats of more to come, with zero public consultation. This is a big mistake. It’s time for the government to realize that Three Stage is an important asset to our community’s health and wellbeing, both physically and financially.
Steve Varga,
Collingwood
The recent trail closures in Pretty River Valley Provincial Park demonstrate exactly what’s wrong with Ontario’s conservation efforts.
There is no doubt that Ontario faces difficult decisions in accommodating forecasted population growth without endangering ecologically sensitive areas. The current assault on Ontario’s Greenbelt is a prime example.
Closer to home, the proposed Castle Glen development threatens to pave-over 1,500 acres of pristine Escarpment nature—and, apparently, there is nothing the province can do about that. Yet, just across Grey Road 19, Ontario Parks is closing several popular biking and hiking trails to “preserve” nature. Just how out of touch these trail closures are becomes immediately apparent when looking at Castle Glen. Undoubtedly, this proposed mega-development will imperil endangered species, our watershed and the coherence of our Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve. Instead of closing access to nature, provincial ministries and departments should start talking to each other so the right hand does not undo what the left hand has done. Bikers and hikers aren’t the problem.
Thorben Wieditz,
Collingwood
