Georgina Island First Nation Fixed Link Background Information

The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation is located both on and off the south shore of Lake Simcoe and is approximately 100 km north of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The First Nation is governed by an elected band council, consisting of one Chief and four Councillors. Georgina Island First Nation Reserve No.33 consists of four separate land masses. There are three separate islands (Georgina Island, Snake Island, and Fox Island) which lie approximately 3 km off the southern shore of Lake Simcoe, and a small acreage located at Island Grove on the mainland. The largest nearby centre of population is the village of Sutton, which is located 6.5 km to the southwest of the First Nation.

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The health and safety of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation (GIFN) community members is a core component of the community’s vision for the future.  For generations, GIFN leadership have envisioned an opportunity for a Fixed Link to provide the community with safe passage from Georgina Island to the mainland and reduce reliance on personal passage, particularly during difficult seasonal and storm conditions.  A Fixed Link is a permanent land-based access route from the mainland to the shoreline of Georgina Island. 

 

Today, Georgina Island is only accessible by the Aazhaawe Ferry during the spring, summer and autumn months of the year and by airboat or ice road during the winter months. GIFN is proposing to build the Georgina Island Fixed Link (Fixed Link), a combination of bridge and causeway, that will connect the First Nation’s reserve on Georgina Island to its lands on the mainland.

 

This project will eliminate the need for risky crossings for community members and provide safe, reliable Island accessibility across all seasons and all-weather conditions. This legacy project will position the community to protect the environmental, cultural, social and economic future of the community for the next Seven Generations.

 

The Georgina Island Fixed Link presents an opportunity for investment in a safer, more dependable and cost-effective transportation alternative to allow continuous access for both pedestrians and vehicles to cross Lake Simcoe from Georgina Island to the mainland.