Update on Temporary Foreign Worker Permits
If you have been experiencing delays in the processing of your Temporary Foreign Worker Permits please see the information below:
After speaking with senior people at Service Canada and our contacts at the Prime Minister’s Office, we have received an extremely positive response from senior government officials that applications are in process and that resources are being diverted towards completing LMO’s, STS’s, etc. in order to avoid any distress to camp employers.
We have been assured by Service Canada in Ontario of their commitment to working with camp employers on an ongoing basis, as they have in the past. Essentially they have made it clear that they are now instructing all staff to process camp applications.
If your camp has already been impacted by delays in processing for staff entry into Canada such that your staff should have entered the country already or are supposed to enter the country early next week, we have been asked to direct camps to send a short and polite email to your Service Canada representative/program officer that thanks them for their time, while acknowledging you know how busy they are as a result of the issues surrounding the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. You should also state that you have been made aware that staff resources are being diverted towards processing all camp related applications and as a result you are providing them with names of staff that require immediate action.
You should then copy the director of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Steven West (steven.west@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca) on your email.
Please only indicate staff names that are urgent and require immediate processing as we expect within a week Service Canada will be catching up on all other files and we should expect the normal support and service as in past years.
As each week passes if you find that applications are still not being processed then you should keep on emailing your contact and copy Steven West.
If you find you are still not receiving results next week feel free to advise CCA President Jill Dundas (jill.dundas@sympatico.ca) or Mark Diamond at (mark@manitoucamp.com).
Outdoor Council of Canada announces Leadership Level 1 certification at UBC this summer
The Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia is pleased to announce that the Outdoor Council of Canada is hosting their Leadership Level 1 training program at UBC Vancouver in July.
Held on July 19 & 20 this entry-level course, Leadership Level 1 (LL1), is based on experiential learning modules that develop group management and event-planning skills through hands-on activities and case studies.
Participants in this program will receive a nationally recognized certification upon successful completion of this 2-day course.
For more information, please visit the UBC website by clicking here.
Camp Tonakela, India, Built by a Canadian Camp Director, Celebrates 75 years!
Wallace Forgie, founder of Camp Tonakela
Wallace Forgie travelled to India to serve as Secretary to the Madras chapter of the YMCA. After retiring in 1936, he remained in India and devoted his life to improving the lives of underprivileged children by building a camp.
Two years after his retirement, Wallace Forgie set up Camp Tonakela. Apparently, Forgie chose the Canadian-Indian name meaning ‘NOT FOR SELF’ but it also sounds like “THANUKKU ILLA” in Tamil, which too means not for self.
Forgie came to India as part of YMCA outreach but became an admirer of Indian culture and religion, which were much more integrated into people’s lives. He left the Y and began this mission on his own with support from camps in Canada.
Forgie, founder of Ottawa YMCA Camp On-da-da-waks and with vast experience in outdoor camping, felt that city-folk needed to be encouraged to enjoy camping. In 1946, 15 acres of land was acquired in Avadi by the Camp Tonakela Association. The Camp’s objective was, in Forgie’s own words, “to provide a well-equipped camp site, conduct training in camping and in the leadership of every form of character building activities.” Forgie also had a vision of helping the nearby villagers enhance their skills in gardening, agriculture, handicrafts and cottage industry. Camp Tonakela was to act as the support centre for these villagers who were interested in developing their skills.
Now, in its 75th year, Camp Tonakela continues to enthrall nature lovers with its beauty and mystery. Camp Tonakela offers 15 acres of greenery with lots of trees and shrubs, a small pond and a covered swimming pool, all within its compound. There are 24 tents, adequate sanitation facilities and a kitchen with utensils for the campers to use.
Wally Forgie was “a kindly man with a lot of integrity and a desire to help and uplift persons he worked with and worked for without regard to religion, caste, etc. in the finest tradition of the YMCA,” a Canadian colleague writes. Another colleague recalls, “My earliest recollection of Wally Forgie was during one of his visits to Camp On-da-da-waks in or about 1959-60. He was particularly fascinated with the many pine cones scattered about the camp property and was quite intent on taking a number of them back to Madras…”
Nowadays, over 1200 campers, 800 picnickers and 1000 swimmers use the Camp’s facilities. Day-to-day expenses are met by the income from camps, picnics and swimming. Capital expenditure has to come from donations. The Camp Tonakela connection to Canada and to ICF goes on…
The headquarters for the International Camping Fellowship is located at Camp Tawingo in Canada. Camp Tawingo was founded by Jack Pearse, a former director of YMCA Camp On-da-da-waks . On-da-da-waks, which means ‘Men of the Woods’ in the Algonquin language, was recognized as the oldest in Ontario while it ran (until 1967). Camp Tawingo and several other camps in Canada sent annual donations to Camp Tonakela for many years.
Great Camp Craft: How to Build a Pop Can Survival Stove
Calvin Horn, a summer camper and also a Grade 8 student at John McRae P.S. in Guelph, ON, describes how to build a pop can survival stove:
ICC Antalya, Turkey – The best-priced International Camping Congress ever!
The International Camping Fellowship and Turkish Camps Association invite you to the 10th International Camping Congress, to be held in Antalya, Turkey from October 23 – 27, 2014
You can experience it all:
- Friendly, welcoming local camp leaders, a warm and sunny climate, and a richly textured, exciting culture.
- A world class all-inclusive 5-star resort on the Mediterranean Sea.
- Pre and Post-Congress tours offer excellent additional travel at a great price.
- Special camp business opportunities
- An amazing line-up of sessions and keynotes offered by the best and brightest in camping reaching into the fields of business, politics and sport.
Your fee includes:
- 4 nights accommodation, including all delicious meals, drinks (coffee, teas, soda, and alcohol), resort pools, and beaches
- The entire ICC program–all sessions, keynotes, Welcome Party, Gala Dinner, coffee breaks, congress t-shirt (Turkish cotton!)
- Airport transfers, translation services
- Children 12 and under are welcome at no extra charge.
Travel costs:
International flights from Canada to Istanbul, Turkey are approximately $1,000.
Special travel agent advice and coordination is available.
To register, or for more info please visit:
Looking for a fun and unique team-building event in Manitoba?
Join the Manitoba Camping Association for the 1st Annual Great Manitoba Portage event in support of the Sunshine Fund. Qualico is the presenting sponsor and the MCA is thrilled to have their support.
Proceeds of this event will support the Sunshine Fund to help give more underprivileged children the opportunity to experience camp. Each year kids are turned away due to a lack of funds which is a difficult message to give to families who really are in need of the assistance.
The event is intended to be fun and unique, as such all activities incorporate a camp and canoe portage like flavour – three legged race challenges with weighted backpacks, land challenges involving water, portaging a canoe, and wilderness first aid will all be components of the race. The portage section will be the most challenging as it is a 1km loop over the pedestrian bridge at the Forks (Esplanade Riel).
Volunteers are still needed so if you would like to help out, please let Liz Kovach (MCA Executive Director) know.
Event Specifics
- Registration is open @ http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=10595
- Team members are required to register individually however are asked to provide their team name, registration is $50.00 per person.
- For all participants that raise $150.00, we will return your registration fee, or provide you with a tax receipt if you choose to donate it to the Sunshine Fund.
- Online pledges can be collected by sending out this link once you have registered, the Running Room will provide tax receipts on our behalf to donors that give through the Pledge an Athlete, or Give to Charity option. http://www.giving.runningroom.com/hm/
Event Course
- Teams will self-split into pairs to carry through various activities/obstacles
- The final two-some will be portage the canoe for a 1 km loop over the esplanade riel and back
- A canoe paddle is the official “baton” and consistent with relay race style, must be carried at all times and passed off at each exchange
- Once the portage section is completed, the teams will be required to complete a Wilderness First Aid challenge that will bring them to the finish line as a group!
Logistic Info
- Event date: Saturday, May 24th
- Location: The Forks Festival Park and Scotiabank Stage Area
- Registration open: 7:30am
- Canoe lifting orientation starts at: 8am
- Live on Location broadcast with Virgin 103.1 & Ace Burpee from 9-1
- Event start time: 9am
- Awards Ceremony: noon
- Wrap-up 1pm
Prizes will be Awarded
- Top Fundraising Camp
- Top Fundraising Team (non-corporate)
- Top Fundraising Corporate
- Team that displays the most team spirit!