Night Burning in Effect Apr. 1-Oct. 31, 2025 7pm to 7am Tudor & Cashel/Limerick |
SLCA Photo Contest is back, you can't win if you don't enter!We're back! It's the 2025 Steenburg Lake Community Association Photo Contest. Upload your entries to one of the four categories for your chance to win one of four gift cards. CATEGORIES: Landscapes, Wildlife, Life at the Lake and the Under 16 category for our youth photographers. DEADLINE TO ENTER: August 20, 2025 ENTER HEREHOW TO ENTER: To enter you must be a paid member of the SLCA or an immediate family member. For active Owner members (that’s the person who pays the membership fee for your property): log-in at steenburglake.ca, click on the Photo Contest page, select the Category for your submission, use the Upload button to submit your entry(ies). Don't forget to add your name so we can award your prize if you win, and a caption that describes the photo in up to 4 words. Are you a family member of an active member? Ask your membership holder to upload the photos for you. OR, email your entries to inquiries@steenburglake.ca. In your email please include a caption up to 4 words, the photographer's name, and your lake address so we can confirm your membership status. Maximum three entries per person per category. RULES Upcoming Events
![]() Photo: personalwatercraft.com Do you know the safe boating rules? OR... 'There's a fine for that'Three things you might not know about boating laws in Ontario: 1. Bet you didn’t know when using a stand-up paddle board (SUP) you are required to either:
2. Did you know you must have a spotter for towed sports – that includes when driving a personal watercraft (jet ski)? 3. Did you know the fine for operating a motorized boat at speeds exceeding 10 km/h within 30 meters (100ft) of the shoreline is $200. This speed limit is in effect unless specified otherwise, such as in canals or rivers under a certain width where the municipality determines the limit, or for boats operating at a perpendicular angle to the shore for watersports. Carrying the proper safety equipment and operating safely are the law. If you get caught breaking the rules, fines vary, but generally:
5 things the OPP will look for on the lake 1. There needs to be a personal flotation device (PFD) for every person on board, they have to fit properly, show no wear or be missing fasteners. They have to be readily accessible (if you’re not actually wearing yours) and if it’s an inflatable life vest, users must be age 16 or older and you must be wearing it. The fine applies to every person on board who is not in compliance. Typically, the fine for not having the right life jacket is $200+ in Ontario. 2. Having open liquor or cannabis on board. You may transport these items, but they have to be sealed, stowed, and out of sight. The only times when you can “consume” on your boat is when you are moored or anchored and you have a permanent washroom, cooking and sleeping accommodations onboard. People in kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and other watercraft are covered under this regulation. The operator can be fined $215 and everyone else onboard can also be charged $125 per person. 3. The operator must have their valid Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card (PCOC) with them in the boat and the fine is $305 for not having the card onboard (even if you have one at home). It’s also best to have your other ID with you too. The PCOC card does not have a photo and the other ID can help establish that you are the person who holds that PCOC card. Fine: $305. 4. A spotter is required when using your boat for “towed sports” (water skiing, wake boarding, wake surfing, tubing, etc.) and that spotter must be considered reliable or competent. Obviously, you can’t safely drive the boat and watch the skier at the same time. Another part of this regulation is that there must be an available seat in the boat for every person being towed in case you need to bring them into the boat. If you are towing with a personal watercraft, it will need to be a three-seater and you can only tow one person. You have a driver, spotter and one rider—that’s three seats minimum. The fine is $250+. 5. Powered vessels require a Pleasure Craft License and the Transport Canada vessel license numbers are to be properly displayed on the bow of the vessel. You are also required to have the registration—on board—and the vessel’s ownership (or copies) too. Not having the license registration earns you a fine of $305. Required Safety Gear For sail or power boat 6 m or under (19’8”) According to Transport Canada, the following boat safety equipment is required for all motorized and sailing vessels no longer than 6 m.
If your boat is between 6 and 9 m (19”8” – 29’6”)
Canoes and kayaks
Personal Watercraft (PWC) If every person on board a personal watercraft is wearing a lifejacket or a PFD of an appropriate size, you are only required to carry:
See: Safe Boating Guide Sources: Transport Canada, FOCA How to: Enter a kayakSource:https://betterboater.ca/boating-techniques/ | Latest SLCA News
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Members CLICK HERE to post to the Chat Back where she belongsPhoto by Selena Bruni Steenburg welcomed a special returning resident to the lake on Mother's Day, May 11, 2025. Welcome back to this 15-year-old female snapping turtle. She was released after spending the winter at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre in Peterborough where she was recovering from being hit by a car and loosing her beak. The trauma centre is run by the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. This turtle was originally from our lake and the volunteer was so happy she could be released back to Steenburg. If you happen to spot her you will notice that she has a bit of a smooshed in face, that is her new smile (-: About our lake:Steenburg Lake is in the Trent River and Lake Ontario drainage basins in the townships of Limerick and Tudor & Cashel, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada, 28 kilometres south of the town of Bancroft. The lake is about 3.2 kilometres long and 2.8 kilometres wide and lies at an elevation of 316 metres. TIP: Hooked an invasive water plant? Don't toss it back![]() Photo Credit: Invasive Species Centre We’ve all been fishing and reeled in a weed – that’s right – we mean an aquatic plant. That weed could be Eurasian Water-Milfoil (EWM), an invasive species found in Steenburg Lake. EWM spreads when fragments of the plant break loose or are cut loose by a boat propeller. If you hook one, please do not toss aquatic plants back in the lake. Instead dispose of them on land either in the garbage or by burning. Help prevent the spread of invasive plants. Learn more. Catch and release tips
Source: Ontario.ca / Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources e-newsletter Oct. 5, 2024 |
our missionTo source and make available relevant information to the Membership regarding political and environmental changes that impact cottage ownership and take appropriate action on behalf of the Association when deemed necessary by the executive; to promote, educate and encourage responsible lake stewardship and to provide opportunities to meet and socialize at events throughout the year with fellow cottage owners. | Become a memberYour annual membership fee of $40 helps the Steenburg Lake Community Association achieve their mission on behalf of the residents of Steenburg Lake. Fees fund fun activities throughout the year, they support our Lake Stewardship program, Newsletters, Website, and Government Relations. Your membership is appreciated, and required, in order to continue as an association. email us: inquiries@steenburglake.ca | Find usTHE BOARD
Rock Markers Keith Fletcher |