Georgina Island
Canada · Americas
About
Georgina Island (Ojibwe: Waaseyaagmiing) is the largest lake island in Lake Simcoe, located in southern Ontario, Canada. The island is a Native reserve populated by the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, a band of Ojibwa people. It is also within the Town of Georgina and in the Regional Municipality of York.
Before the completion of the Trent–Severn Waterway, the water level on Lake Simcoe was low enough to enable residents to cross in wagons or walk in ankle-deep water to the mainland, at Virginia Beach, Ontario. After the Trent Severn Waterway was completed, the water level increased enough to submerge traditional farmlands and to require a boat for crossing to the mainland.
Pope John Paul II stayed on neighbouring Strawberry Island for four days just before World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto.
The island is reached by a ferry in summer and an airboat in winter. On the coldest days of winter Lake Simcoe is cold enough for an ice road to be built allowing light vehicles to drive across the frozen lake. The Women's Support Network of York Region has worked with the First Nations of Georgina Island.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.