Killarney French River Manitoulin Island Wanapitei River Lacloche Foothills Aux Sables River Lake Superior Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario, Canada



COVID-19                                                          Action Response Plan (June 2022)


Boozhoo Nwiij-ki-wen-yig (Hello Dear Friends),


We are super excited to be moving full-steam ahead toward Summer 2022! Having successfully operated virtually for the last 24 months, we’re confident we’ll be ready for the challenges 2022 will be sure to bring. The health and safety of our participants and staff is our top priority. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important that you understand our efforts to manage everyone’s health and safety so that you can make an informed decision. We are focused on taking all reasonable measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We continue to seek guidance from the Algoma Public Health (APH), Public Health Ontario (PHO) and Ontario Ministry of Health on how to best prepare for Great Lakes Cultural Camps this summer. Please understand that our COVID-19 Action Plan is a living document.  We will continue to adjust our programming, schedule, and protocols to match current research and science. Above all, we promise to continue operating with the ingenuity, discipline, trust, and work ethic that we have always delivered, and we will continue to communicate our plans and protocols with parents, host communities and our partners.


We highly recommend that each participant is vaccinated to support the highest level of safety for all participants and staff. In addition, we require a screening to be completed prior to attending a GLCC program.  COVID-19 screening (Version 4.8) We will monitor symptoms regularly and make changes to our programming and/or suspend a program if required.

We will follow all provincial recommendations for day camps: Your program has been adapted to minimize transmission risk. Please read through our COVID-19 Procedures.



Great Lakes Cultural Camps Overview

Great Lakes Cultural Camps is a year-round mobile Anishinaabe outdoor education centre that brings everything to you! GLCC develops and provides high quality cultural experiences on the land and water that recognize the value of being active in the outdoors, land-based learning, Anishinaabe culture and what it can bring to people’s lives.


Great Lakes Cultural Camps is a small family run business that is focused on all the details. GLCC expeditions and land-based learning programs are designed to provide participants with high quality, in-depth instruction in a range of indoor and outdoor adventure experiences. Our programs are intensive adventure experiences geared to the abilities and interests of participants. We specialize in Ontario Recreational Canoeing & Kayaking Association (ORCKA), Paddle Canada (PC), Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA), Boreal River Rescue certification programs, backcountry and authentic Indigenous Cultural Experiences. We also coordinate and offer a variety of other year-round experiential learning programs. (Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Association is the provincially and nationally recognized provider of recreational canoeing and kayaking programs and instruction, helping the people of Ontario to become safe, competent and knowledgeable recreational paddlers).



At a Glance - What to Expect As We Reopen:


  1. •Stay home if you are sick

  2. •Prior to visit, electronically have students read, understand and sign our Adapted procedures – COVID-19 Precautions waiver

  3. •Observe health & safety information posted at course location

  4. •Implementing our new "Safe Social Distancing Strategy"

  5. •Wash your hands with soap and water often

  6. •Be safe and practice physical distancing

  7. •Wear a cloth mask when physical distancing is not an option

  8. •Have on hand; a cloth face covering, tissues and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol

  9. •If you don’t follow the guidelines below, you’ll have to leave the course


ADAPTED COURSE PROCEDURES FOR COVID

We are confident that Great Lakes Cultural Camps are safe to operate with adaptations to our operations while maintaining reasonable physical distancing requirements and ensuring the safety of our students and our employees. 

We highly recommend that each participant is vaccinated to support the highest level of safety for all participants and staff. In addition, we require a screening to be completed prior to attending a GLCC course.  COVID-19 screening We will monitor symptoms regularly and make changes to our programming and/or suspend a program if required.


GLCC is screening all team members. Team members have their temperature taken and complete a health assessment questionnaire.


All courses will take place outside and have been adapted. 


Summer Camp is 20 students including School Board support staff and GLCC Team


Prior to visit, electronically have students read, understand and sign our COVID-19 Adapted procedures – COVID-19 Precautions waiver.


Staff and students and everyone in their household will be required to have been symptom free of the novel coronavirus for the previous 5,10 days.


Please inform our staff of any special medical concerns relevant and updated emergency contact list for each student


Do not operate in any communities unless invited and okayed by the community.


If at any point things change or you need to back out of a course because of issues related to COVID-19, we’ll provide you with a full credit to take the same course within 18 months. Read our cancellation policy.


Instructors will hand out paddles, pfds and other paddling gear, all of which will be issued for the entire course. We will give out equipment at the beginning of the course and collect at the end of the course.


Extra cleaning and disinfect canoes, kayaks and gear with Public Health Ontario (PHO) / Health Canada approved cleansers at end of each course and further disinfect with sunlight.


Adapt our teaching environment to ensure physical distancing requirements are maintained on land and on the water.


Change the teaching progressions to focus more time on technique in easier water that minimizes the need for rescue to reduce the need for close personal contact.


Teach self-rescue/recovery techniques early in the course so students will have self recovery skills if needed.


Review and adopt other techniques and procedures after every teaching session and course. Only continue to run courses if this plan is working.


We feel with implementing the above measure we can continue to offer summer programs this season with your assistance if things stay the same or improve with COVID-19. We will have to re-evaluate as things change and will only operate if we can maintain safety and health of our students and staff. We are open to suggestions and ideas to strengthen this plan.

Thank you for your ongoing support, understanding and for your commitment to working through this.


Baa ma pii minniwaa,



Great Lakes Cultural Camps