2026 – CICA FALL NEWSLETTER
| It’s nearly the end of November and it’s been a busy year. In this newsletter we will review what happened with CICA and the community over the past few months and let you know what our plans are moving forward. CICA & LAMBTON SHORES CICA meets regularly with Lambton Shores staff to alert them to local issues and help with solutions to problems. We identified several areas of concern over the past year; here are some updates: ATVs We heard a lot of concerns from our membership about the issues posed by reckless use of ATVs. Chief Administrative Officer Steve McAuley will remind the OPP Command to have presence on summer weekends by the IBC. Erratic or dangerous driving of ATVs on the road or beach should be reported to 911, not the non-emergency line. Signage Lambton Shores has agreed to install some beach safety signage at the end of the three main access roads (West Ipperwash, Ipperwash, and Army Camp Roads). Buoys CICA had requested marker buoys to deal with concerns over watercraft operating close to shore and close to swimmers. Lambton Shores said it cannot provide them for jurisdictional and maintenance reasons. Illegal Parking The municipality recognizes the ongoing problems of illegal parking, particularly on busy summer weekends. It will continue ticketing on a regular rotation. Port-a-pot After a visit to West Ipperwash Road, Lambton Shores determined that there isn’t sufficient space that offers a good location for a port-a-pot. New council members The municipal election last month reshaped the Lambton Shores council considerably. We have a new mayor, Jeff Wilcox, who replaces Doug Cook. And we have a new councillor representing Ipperwash, Shawn Dickey, who was acclaimed. In the coming weeks, CICA plans to meet our new representatives to maintain our good working relationship with the council, to listen to their plans for our community, and to convey the thoughts and concerns of our membership. |
| OPP MEETING CICA communicates regularly with the area’s Ontario Provincial Police office, the force tasked with providing law enforcement for Ipperwash. OPP’s CICA liaison, John Heene, provided a review of the police’s summer activities in Ipperwash Beach. The summer deployment – the extra officers devoted to our increased summer traffic – recorded 116 occurrences across 19 scheduled patrol days, demonstrating consistent police visibility, proactive activity and response to a wide range of community and public-safety concerns within the targeted patrol area. AGM |
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| CICA’s Annual General Meeting was held in August, graciously hosted by former CICA executive Jim Maguire and his wife Marlene. The executive reviewed the year’s activities, and members were active with questions and comments, particularly those addressed to Lambton Shores Mayor Doug Cook, who was in attendance. The gathering was well attended and we received a lot of positive feedback from members. One notable rule we’ll enforce more rigorously next year: only paid Full and Associate members may speak at the AGM. |
| VOLUNTEER DINNER |
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In September, the municipality held its annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner, a chance to celebrate the incredible volunteers within our community. Ipperwash was well-represented at the event, which included a presentation of this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Award to our Jim and Grace Dekker who received the Good Neighbour award. This event is a thank-you to people who contribute so much to Lambton Shores and truly help make it such an amazing place to live and visit. |
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| GRAB N’ GAB This season we had almost 30 volunteers who collectively put in more than 220 hours keeping our beach clean. Those astounding numbers do not include others who picked up litter on Wednesdays or other days of the week. Of note, this year we had a student volunteer and younger members join us, and we also spent one Wednesday cleaning up West Ipperwash Beach. |
BIKE RACKS With assistance from Lambton Shores’ Community Vibrancy Fund and Cordolia, CICA has installed three bicycle racks at some of the public-access spots along the beach. The installations took place in October, and provide space for cyclists to park and lock their bikes close to the beach. Check them out at Areas 1, 3 and 5! |
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SCRCA BEACH CLEAN-UP The annual “end of summer” Ipperwash Beach Cleanup took place in September, organized by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. Volunteers spent the morning combing the beach and dunes to remove trash to protect our slice of Lake Huron’s sensitive dune ecosystems. The ice cream provided by the Ipperwash Beach Club after the cleanup was, er, icing on the cake! |
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EXECUTIVE VACANCIES By the time the next Annual General Meeting is held next August four of CICA’s seven executive seats will be up for grabs. If you know someone who would be interested in running for one of the spots, or if you’re interested yourself, please take advantage of these openings. We need good people, and we know our membership is overflowing with talent and energy. It’s a terrific opportunity to serve your community, to make a real difference, and to have some fun along the way. |
A NEW INVASIVE SPECIES West Ipperwash resident, Laurie Donahue, has identified cockleburs as a new invasivespecies in our area. She was concerned and took action using some of the equipment from the Ipperwash Phrag Phighters. The Municipality picked up the invasive species that were removed. What is a cocklebur? A cocklebur is a robust, broadleaf annual weed featuring sandpaper-like leaves, purple-mottled stems, and rigid, hook-covered seed pods that hitch-hike on passing fur and clothing. In Ontario, the plant is an aggressive, weed-like invader that populates farm fields, pastures, and shorelines, where it aggressively crowds out native flora and robs vital resources from valuable crops. Its rapid spread poses serious economic and environmental risks by lowering crop yields, degrading local biodiversity, and it can pose a lethal poisoning hazard to livestock that accidentally graze on its toxic seedlings or mature burrs. |
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CHRISTMAS DINNER This year’s Christmas dinner is on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The bash, which will be held at the Ipperwash Beach Club, has mushroomed in popularity in recent years and tickets are selling fast. So contact CICA to secure a seat at the biggest event of Ipperwash’s winter season. Cut-off date is November 28th. Non-Members may purchase after November 21st if tickets still available. Send an e-transfer to treasurer@centreipperwashcommunity.ca indicating names of attendees. For those who do not have e-transfer please email treasurer@centreipperwashcommunity.ca to arrange alternate payment methods. |
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IN MEMORIUM – KLAUS MUELLER Sad news came to the Ipperwash community in August, with the untimely death of Klaus Mueller. Klaus and his wife Verena were well-known and active members of our community (Verena had strong CICA ties too). As his obituary stated: “Klaus will be remembered for the impact he had on the lives of those around him. Friends, family, and colleagues will cherish their memories and the time shared. Those who knew Klaus will remember moments of kindness, warmth, and presence. Though words cannot fully capture his life, the legacy of connections and experiences remains. Klaus’s absence will be deeply felt by those who valued his companionship.” He was loved and cherished by many people including his wife Verena; his sons Markus and Andreas and daughters-in-law Dori and Gabriela, and grandchildren Katia, Hans and Valery |
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BECOME A MEMBER OF CICA As a member of this dynamic organization you are provided with information and updates on the community. We meet with local officials to voice your concerns. We provide opportunities for members to become involved in community events, support ecological endeavors and pursue matters that affect our members. Your voice matters and with strength in numbers we can be a proactive organization to meet the concerns of our community. Click the following link to join! https://centreipperwashcommunity.ca/membership-account/membership-levels/ |