Simon Miles

Simon was one of the first small group of volunteers responding to the call by Robin Cumine, then LOBA’s President, at LOBA’s Annual General Meeting, in Dorset, in 1984, for assistance in putting together a conceptual plan and filing for Letters Patent for the organization to be incorporated. The group became a LOBA committee, chaired by George Daniels, then a Director of LOBA. The committee was mandated to give shape to the idea of a foundation, with charitable status, that could receive donations that could be put to use to realize what could be regarded as objectives with broad support of the lake community. Robin, a lawyer, worked on the legal front to obtain our Letters Patent from the Government of Ontario and our charitable status from the Government of Canada. The Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation received its Letters Patent, and thus became incorporated, on 1 October 1985. Charitable status was approved on 23 July 1986. Other members of that committee, in addition to Robin, George and Simon, were Jack Hanna, Douglas McTaggart and Edwin Brezina. Simon was serving as the President of the Conservation Council of Ontario at the time, then the largest environmental non-governmental organization in the province, with its 35 province-wide member organizations which, between them, served some two million members. Not surprisingly, he had his finger on the pulse of the body politic with respect to public attitudes and priorities concerning the protection of the environment and the use of natural resources. He also brought to the Board his past experience in having built from scratch, and then run, a worldwide NGO designing and managing multi-country research to action programmes tackling major issues confronting the largest metropolitan regions in the world. Further, he was making his living as a public policy consultant, working worldwide, often at the highest levels of government, with central executive bodies, and thus had a good sense of the possible, based on the experience of other countries with regimes that were far more advanced than Ontario with respect to the protection of natural and built heritage.

When the first Board of Directors was created in 1985, Bill Daniel, then President of Shell Canada, kindly agreed to take on the role of President. This helped establish the credibility of the fledgling Foundation in the eyes of the lake community. Unfortunately, by 1987, Bill’s headquarters were being shifted to Calgary. Bill, with the support of the rest of the Board, convinced Simon to assume the mantle of President.

When Simon took on the role of President, every initiative was being taken for the first time. There were no templates to copy. This was very time-consuming and not always very exciting. For example, the Board was necessarily still wrestling with such administrative matters as how to recruit and recognize members. Simon was committed to developing a programme of activity that would be lake-wide in its application and in its appeal to the current and prospective members, and that would send a signal as to what the Foundation stood for. Brainstorming meetings with members pointed to two initial themes: minimizing disturbance of our wildlife habitats; and, enhancing the tranquility of the lake.

To give expression to the first theme, Simon came up with the idea of what became the report, prepared in 1988, on “An Evaluation of Wildlife Habitat in the Vicinity of Lake of Bays”. As a former part-time professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University, Simon had access to some of Canada’s foremost environmental experts. It was thanks to the renowned John Livingston that Simon recruited Ken Towle to undertake this study. The work became recognized by the local and provincial governments as a reliable reference and has since been cited many times in official planning documents. And, just as importantly, it worked wonders in sending a clear signal as to what the Foundation stood for, and in recruiting Foundation members.

The second theme found expression in our work on establishing and enforcing a near-shore boat speed limit of 9 km per hour. In 1989, Simon, with Betty Day, then Vice-President of LOBA, provided full support to Malcolm Scott, then Mayor of the Township, in his request of the Government of Canada for this speed limit. The federal government agreed. In 1990, we proceeded to install signs to indicate speed limits close to shore and especially in narrow waterways. The Foundation took advantage of its charitable status to attract donations in return for signs. One can still see many of these 9 km per hour signs on the lake today. And to reinforce the importance of minimizing boat wake in order to protect natural habitat, as well as providing a peaceful environment, the Foundation, with the enthusiastic support of Harry Hatch and Heather Harwood-Nash, launched its Oxtongue River Project. Harry’s family then owned property at the mouth of the river and were happy to erect signs there calling upon boaters to “preserve our lake, reduce your wake”. What was particularly remarkable was that our initiative, along with other expressions of concern across Canada with respect to boating speeds, led to an amendment to the Canada Shipping Act in October 1991. All provincial waterways, from then on, carried a posted restriction of 10 km per hour. Lake of Bays was permitted to retain its specially-granted 9 km per hour limit. 

With the first programmes established, and along with them a growing Foundation presence, Simon turned the attention of the Board to fundraising. For the production of the first brochure, Simon called upon a top-flight journalist, Valerie Ross, to put his words into attractive prose, and Chris Yaneff, our Founding Treasurer, who happened to run one of Canada’s best graphic design firms, for the creation of the Foundation’s iconic logo, featuring the Great Blue Heron in flight. Simon saw the brochure and logo as integral to the building of the Foundation’s corporate image. More on the story of this logo is found here. This attention to the promotion of the Foundation paid off. The first major media coverage of the Foundation’s work appeared in “Cottage Life” in 1989, with several other local media also providing stories on our efforts that year. 

As a way of initiating the building up of a financial reserve to position the Foundation for the eventual acquisition of land for conservation purposes, Simon led the Board in introducing various ways of attracting money from members. He worked with Paul Caine, then our Treasurer, to establish the category of Life Member and set an example by becoming one of the first such members. He also worked with Paul to take advantage of the offer of Vicky Weaver to sell life insurance policies with the Foundation named as beneficiary. Vicky was the first to take out such a policy in 1990. And Brink Weaver, a former president of LOBA, very kindly provided the capital to initiate our first endowment fund. Simon worked with Brink on both the initial creation of this fund in 1990 and the later reshaping of its purpose, in 2013, to give us what we have today – The Harriet T. Weaver Memorial Trust – in recognition of Brink and Vicky’s mother, one of the early cottagers on Lake of Bays, who, with her husband Bill, was well known for assisting local families in times of need. Simon then oversaw the Foundation’s ongoing relationship with the two local high schools in Bracebridge and Huntsville to ensure the sound administration of the awarding of the Harriet T. Weaver Bursaries each year. Again, there is further information here on this Fund and the bursaries it supports. 

By 1989, a third programme theme emerged: discovering our architectural heritage. Simon recruited architect Peter Goering to the Board to lead what was initially called the Architectural Conservancy Group. Ross Boothby and Sally Coutts were active members of this group. In 1990, Peter and Ross, ably assisted by Sylvia Garratt and Paul Tapley, organized a tour on the Wanda, then moored on Lake of Bays, to highlight some of the historic sites and buildings on the lake. Included on the tour was Port Cunnington Lodge and its boathouse, and a ceremony to recognize these buildings with the first Foundation plaques. This marked the initiation of yet another Foundation programme that has endured ever since. (Hillside Pioneer Memorial Church was the second recipient, in 1992.) Simon ensured that Chris Yaneff’s talent was again put to good use in designing the distinctive plaque that is now seen on many buildings around the lake, thus further strengthening our corporate image and sending another signal as to what we stood for. Interestingly, the very first plaques were made of plastic that could not withstand the vagaries of the weather. Simon worked with Chris to introduce the metal plaque that we continue to use today. When Peter resigned from the Group in 1993, Margaret McBurney took over the leadership of what then became the History and Landmarks Committee. (Later, this committee became the Built Heritage Committee and then the Built and Cultural Heritage Committee, and, in 2020, the Community Heritage Committee.) Margaret had written five books on social and architectural history in Canada. Simon had also recruited Elizabeth Stewart of Dwight, who was experienced in documenting built heritage in her home town of Rochester, in New York State, to lead the documentation of our heritage buildings of note. Later, Brenda Maitland became another Director of note working on this committee. Over 50 volunteers provided suggestions for buildings to be added to the inventory. By the end of 1993, Libby Stewart reported that she had 174 buildings on our inventory. As the documentation of these buildings proceeded, this inventory then became the main resource for the organization, under Simon’s leadership, of our first cottage tours. The first tour was organized in 1991 with the able organizational skills of Peter Goering, Lance Tigert and Heather Pascoe. Ten families opened their cottages to this self-guided tour and welcomed hordes of dripping wet guests. Despite the continuing rain, it proved to be an enormous success. It spoke volumes about the sense of shared community interest in our built heritage. Inspired by this first tour, we organized a second tour in 1995, again with the outstanding contributions from Peter Goering, Pat McDermott, Margaret McBurney, Barbara Patterson, Libby Stewart and the generous owners of the cottages on the tour. Not surprisingly, these tours led to the recruitment of many more members and donors. 

As the Foundation became known, it was approached by local community groups for assistance. For example, the Port Cunnington Centennial Committee received a small grant to support the publication of a brochure. But of particular note was the Foundation’s support, in 1994, to the community of Newholm for the launching of its restoration of its iconic 1889 church and its conversion to a community centre. The Foundation’s gift of $1,000, and the use of our charitable status to launch an appeal to raise funds for this initiative, helped inspire the community to raise much more in both cash and volunteer labour. Many years later, thanks to the continuing and selfless dedication of local community leaders, the building has become an asset of a free-standing charitable organization – The Newholm Community Heritage Centre. John Rivière-Anderson, who made the request of the Foundation in 1994, exemplifies this commitment of the local community members. He remains a central player in the Centre’s leadership some 28 years later. 

Similarly, just as community groups began to recognize the value of the Foundation, so did the Foundation recognize the need to develop ongoing working relations with community bodies. For example, in 1991 Simon reached out to Jeannie Young, then the Librarian at the Library in Baysville, to arrange for the Baysville Library to be the official repository of historical and other documents acquired by the Foundation in its work. This was becoming necessary as the Foundation both acquired and generated documents of historical value to the community. This relationship was given greater formality in 1995 following Simon’s discussions with Librarian Linda Lacroix and the Chair of the Library Board, Jim VanPatter. The Foundation also encouraged members of the lake community to submit copies of documents of historical interest to the Library.

Some initiatives took a long time to bring to fruition. One notable example that was initiated under Simon’s presidency was the conservation of the Ruth Martin papers. In 1995, the Foundation was entrusted with the four notebooks and one volume of photographs, comprising the Ruth Martin Papers. The notebooks are of Ruth Martin’s interviews with the descendants of many of the earliest settlers of Lake of Bays. While these papers were obvious examples of historical documents that should be deposited in our official repository, these papers were seen as being of such value that the originals were deposited with the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Room in the Robarts Library of the University of Toronto. Copies were deposited in the libraries in Baysville, Dwight and Dorset. Over the next 25 years the Foundation funded local efforts to transcribe these notebooks so that they could be made available in digital form. Board members particularly active in this work over the years included Gloria Woodside, Harriet Muirhead and Penny Thomas, along with continuing support from Lee Van Ormer, who first brought the papers to our attention in 1993. 

Another project with a long history that was initiated under Simon’s presidency was the rescuing of the Bigwin ferry from the bottom of the boathouse slip at the Bigwin Inn. The early work, undertaken by Robin Cumine, involved establishing the legal ownership of the ferry before the Foundation could acquire ownership. This took far longer than anticipated, due to the history of the ownership of the vessel. Indeed, we had not completed that task before we were forced to move the boat from its boathouse. This is when Mark McLean, whom Simon had recruited to the Board in 1990, stepped forward to lead the preparation for the eventual raising of the drowned hulk. Mark was enthusiastically supported by several others in this and the actual raising, most notably: Ross Boothby, Chris Winger, Gary Best, Bernard Wood, Herman Cunnington and Steve Cunnington. We finally saw the fruits of their labours realized when the ferry was lifted from the water onto the pier at South Portage in 1991. Later members of the Board, notably Jeff Gabura and Karl Jaffary, established the Lake of Bays Marine Museum and Navigation Society, that assumed ownership of the SS Bigwin, and now maintains it and makes it available for cruises on Lake of Bays. The Museum, on the water’s edge in Dorset, offers insights into the history of the SS Bigwin and other vessels of note on the lake. Upstairs, in the same building, the Museum has kindly made space available to the Foundation to display information on its work, including a video organized by Simon, in 2020, on the benefits of the work of the Foundation in protecting the environment of the lower Oxtongue River and its valley.

In addition to launching its own programmes, as the Foundation became a respected source of knowledge on environmental conservation, its advice was sought on the development of local government initiatives. From 1989 on, Simon, Peter Goering and others had a significant role in working with the District of Muskoka in its early meetings on the launching of the Muskoka Heritage Areas Program. The Foundation also contributed financially to the development of this programme. Two areas of note on the Lake that are now designated as Muskoka Heritage Areas are the Oxtongue River valley and Langmaid Island.

Similarly, as the first heritage foundation in Muskoka, we were also being looked to for advice on how to establish similar organizations elsewhere. For example, Robin Cumine was very helpful in guiding those working on the establishment of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation and providing them with our Letters Patent and by-laws as a template for them to use.

When LOBA established the Foundation it was understood that LOBA would assume prime responsibility for political action on behalf of the lake community. The Foundation, as Simon kept repeating in early reports, was to mobilize local commitment and the funds to help bring about any needed action to protect our heritage. Political activity by the Foundation was constrained by the need to protect our charitable status. However, the Foundation has been able to draw public attention to issues affecting our natural and built heritage. In the early ‘Nineties the development of Bigwin Island was a hot issue. The Foundation, under Simon’s leadership and with the organizational effort of Peter Goering, arranged for the reception, in 1990, by Alan Peters, then the owner of the island, of Bill Bigwin, the last surviving relative of Chief James Big Win, after whom the island is named. We also arranged for the protection of the Indian burial site on the island. 

Other planning issues of note addressed under Simon’s presidency included: encouraging the Township and the District to equip themselves to be able to conduct cumulative impact assessments (1992 on); the proposed mammoth expansion of Dwight in Echo Valley and the protection of the Boyne River wetland (1992 on); the proposed 30-lot subdivision on the north side of Marsh’s Falls (1992-’93); the restoration of a wetland in Rat Bay that had been subject to unauthorized infilling (1992-’93); and, the promotion of the revised Provincial enabling legislation on conservation easements (1995).

By undertaking the programmes and projects mentioned here, the Foundation established its credibility and thus inspired the trust of its members and the local elected councils. It was in this environment that, by 1991, there emerged signs of increasing pressure on the Foundation to consider the acquisition of specific properties. The Foundation articulated its policy on land acquisition that year with the assistance of Tom Beckett, a new Board member, who was also a family court judge and chair of the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

Simon vacated the Presidency in 1995. He remained an active member of the Board. In this period, he assumed responsibility for a number of high profile issues. For example, in 1996 he made representations to the Province with respect to the ongoing discussions on the proposed policies to reduce to zero the taxation of conservation lands and habitats of endangered species held by non-profit conservation groups; in 2002 -2003 he represented the Foundation on the Road Salts Management Working Group, keeping the Board briefed on proposed improvements to the management of the use of road salts. And when the Asian Long-horned Beetle arrived in Ontario in 2004, Simon researched the threat and action needed. He wrote a very clear article for LOBA’s Current Connections to ensure all LOBA and LBHF members were aware of what they could do to minimize the damage from this invasive species. He continued to liaise with the federal government officials on this issue for several years. 

From 2006 to 2010 he served as Vice-President and from 2010 until 2021, he served as the Foundation’s Secretary. In this latter role, he provided leadership, with various Presidents, in establishing practical procedures, in improving protocols on administrative undertakings, such as ensuring that conflicts of interest are managed, and in updating the by-laws. He also oversaw the application for some of our grants from Environment Canada, the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, and private foundations, and then supervised the use of those funds for projects. One of his last contributions of significance to the lake community was the conceptualization and organization of the production of a very moving video of the Foundation’s work in protecting the Oxtongue River and the property adjacent to Marsh’s Falls. Other Board members who were active in this undertaking were Penny Thomas, Brian Simpson and Mark McLean. It speaks volumes for the achievements of the Foundation and provides another medium for conveying the value of our work to society. Simon sold Crown Island In 2020 and, with some obvious regret, left the lake community that he had been part of since 1965.

Written by Simon Miles.

In recognition of his many contributions to preserving the heritage of Lake of Bays, a major donor has offered to match donations to the Foundation in honour of Simon up $10,000.  All donations qualify for a tax receipt and should be identified as being “in honour of Simon Miles“.