2019 FOCA Board Executive:
Marlin Horst – President; Ian Crawford – Vice President; Daryle Moffatt – Treasurer; Wendy Sue Lyttle – Secretary
Scroll down to learn more about FOCA’s Staff & Board of Directors
FOCA Staff

Terry Rees
FOCA Executive Director
Lake Kasshabog Residents’ Assoc.
After many years as a FOCA volunteer, Terry took on the role of Executive Director of FOCA in 2004. As leader of one of the largest membership associations in the Province, Terry is committed to building a strong community, and to working collaboratively with a broad range of partners to address the many complex challenges facing Ontario’s rural communities and our freshwater environments.
In 2016, Terry was featured as one of 100 “Voices for Science Communication” in the Science Borealis campaign. He was also recognized in 2016 by the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association as a Corporate Steward. In 2012, Terry received an honour from Water Canada as a “Water’s Next” person representing Canadian water excellence.
Terry cottages on Lake Kasshabog.

Michelle Lewin
FOCA Communications
& Development Coordinator
Michelle oversees FOCA’s printed and electronic messaging, and works with our association members to distribute information to our 50,000 members across the Province. Michelle manages FOCA’s website and Elerts, as well as our annual Year in Review and Lake Stewards Newsletter productions.
Michelle also liaises with FOCA’s Corporate Sponsors. Contact Michelle if your organization is interested in partnering with FOCA to support our mandate of protecting Ontario’s waterfront experience.
Michelle’s formative years were spent at a family cottage on Lake Solitaire in the Huntsville area, at the old Limberlost Lodge property.

Patty Poulin-Ulbricht
FOCA General Manager
Patty was hired in early 2020 to facilitate administrative operations in the FOCA office, in support of FOCA’s advocacy, communications, and member support services. She is also focused on governance, supporting the FOCA Board of Directors and its Committees.
Patty’s background is in operations and account management. She is a past Chair of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Florida, and is certified in dispute resolution from York University and adult education from OISE.
Patty has been cottaging on Catchacoma Lake since the early 70’s and she looks forward to becoming a full-time waterfront resident in the near future.

Deanna Forgie
FOCA Membership
& Programs Coordinator
Catchacoma Cottagers’ Association
Deanna worked with FOCA as a summer student in 2014 before taking on the role of Membership and Programs Coordinator on a permanent basis.
She is your key contact for membership questions!
Deanna cottages on Catchacoma Lake.

Olivia Huber
Office Assistant
Olivia Huber has joined FOCA as part of a Canada Summer Jobs initiative that was postponed due to the pandemic and social-distancing office requirements.
We are pleased to have her working with us again, to assist with archiving some of FOCA’s 50+ years of stewardship in Ontario.
Olivia worked previously with FOCA as a summer student in 2019, as our Outreach Coordinator at local farmers’ markets and community events. Welcome back, Olivia!
FOCA Board of Directors
Alphabetical listing (with Association affiliation):

Terry Beettam
FOCA Director
Lake Weslemkoon Conservation Association
“Here’s my story: At a very young age while vacationing at a family rental cottage I discovered my first real passion – fishing. So in 1994, while renting a cottage on Lake Weslemkoon and bass fishing each day, it was an easy decision to purchase our water-access cottage on Otter Lake in 1995. Otter is attached to Weslemkoon and is pristine and peaceful, where the most you will hear in the evening are the frogs and the loons.
Although our kids were grown by then, our two grandchildren soon began visiting from Montreal, and have begun their cottage experience as I once did. And, my grandson is learning to fish!
Between all of this I had a busy 31-year career in a variety of sales and marketing positions with IBM Canada until retirement in 2000. After which, as president of my own firm, I offered marketing consulting services to smaller companies in the Toronto area until 2007. Then, my also-retired wife, Diane, and I decided to spend 6 months a year at the lake.
Between 2001-2013 I served on the Board of Directors of the Lake Weslemkoon Conservation Association (LWCA), eventually retiring as Past President. During this tenure we focussed on a variety of initiatives around water quality monitoring and improvement.
Since 2014 I have also volunteered with St John Ambulance in the Therapy Dog program along with my Labrador, Leo. In this role we visit weekly with seniors, school children and university students to help enrich their lives.”
(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

Ian Beverley
FOCA Director
Lake of Bays Association
Ian’s story:
Ian is a lawyer with a background in real estate, corporate commercial, governance and environmental law. He has been involved with the Lake of Bays Association (“LOBA”) as a Director for the past 8 years, including four years in which he was President of LOBA. He currently remains a Director of LOBA and the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation.
Ian, his wife, Laura, and their family “discovered” the Lake of Bays area 20 years ago and rented a cottage on a small lake—Otter Lake—near Dorset, before getting their own place on Lake of Bays ten years ago. Keen hikers, cyclists, swimmers and cross country skiers, Ian and Laura appreciate the peaceful solitude of Lake of Bays in all seasons and embrace the beautiful environment and amenities of the area, including Algonquin Park.
(Joined FOCA Board 2020)

Ian Crawford
FOCA Vice President
Captain Estates Road Cottagers Association
Ian’s story: Ian is a passionate lifelong cottager, who joined the FOCA Board to help protect the cottaging experience for future generations.
In the course of his career, Ian has been involved in the design, development and delivery of natural resource management programs in the public sector, and is a subject-matter expert in species-at-risk, water management planning, and Land Claim negotiations. Ian holds certification and extensive experience in leadership, mediation, negotiation, and alternative dispute resolution and has provided leadership training and design to over 20 organizations, corporations and governments around the world.
(Joined FOCA Board 2019)

John Hickey
FOCA Director
Indian Point Property Owners Association
He has been involved in the Kawartha Lakes community since in the late 1960’s. John joined the family business in Coboconk in the early 70’s, moved to Fenelon Falls and on to Lindsay where he became involved in the Association of Kinsmen Clubs and achieved 10 years’ perfect attendance. John was involved in family ownership of 2 cottages until he built his Panabode on Balsam Lake in 1993.
Throughout his lengthy career in the Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Industry, John has also been a committed volunteer in trade associations and is a Past President of the Indian Point Property Owners’ Association. John also volunteered as a civilian volunteer in the OPP’s ERASE Program.
Recently retired, John has had a life-long commitment to cottage life with a dedicated involvement and commitment to organization and committee work including the issues that face us at the waterfront. He hopes to find time for tennis, boating, sailing, bridge and the grand kids.
Linda and John now have 7 grandchildren. Their eldest daughter Allison has recently purchased her own cottage next door to the property John grew up at on Nottawasaga Bay.
(Joined FOCA Board 2018)

Marlin Horst
FOCA President
Baptiste Lake Association
(Joined FOCA Board 2016)

Tony Lepine
FOCA Director
Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners Association
“Here’s my story: I was first exposed to “cottaging” in the late 50’s. My father owned a camp in northern Ontario on the outskirts of my home town. Unfortunately, a forest fire near the town of Chapleau destroyed the camp in 1958. My father never rebuilt and my cottage experience suffered a gap of nearly 20 years.
After spending time at friends’ cottages from the mid 70’s to the late 90’s and after renting on a few occasions, we purchased a cottage (built in 1958) on Kennisis Lake while renting there in 2002. We loved the rugged character of the Haliburton Highlands. Given that we were newbies, we volunteered at various association events so that we could meet the neighbours, enjoy the lake environment more fully and contribute to the cottage community.
In 2005 I became the treasurer of the Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners’ Association (KLCOA) and served in that capacity for 7 years, followed by the role of president for 2 years.
My wife and I both retired in 2013, me after spending 40 years in the Telecom industry and my wife as an elementary teacher and school administrator for 35 years. Retirement has offered us the opportunity to enjoy the cottage more fully and not just on weekends.
My concerns with ownership and the cottage experience are broad but focus mainly on the issues that affect the health of the lake and our ability to enjoy it throughout the year (e.g. shoreline health, properly functioning septic systems, etc…).”
(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

Barb LeVasseur
FOCA Director
Redstone Lake Cottagers Association
Barb’s story: Barb is a retired lawyer who practiced in Ontario in the private and public sector for over 30 years in real estate law, with the land registry system, with the Ontario Attorney General’s office and the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. Barb has been a team leader for her business legal team, managing the legal work flow, and acted as mentor and advisor for other counsel. Barb has worked with counsel and policy personnel in several Provincial ministries to assist with land related matters. Barb is a former Director and corporate Secretary with her own lake association.
(Joined FOCA Board 2019)

Wendy Sue Lyttle
FOCA Secretary
Catchacoma Cottagers Association
“Here’s my story: For most of my life, I have spent summers at a cottage. The first was Whiting Beach, Lake Muskoka, since I was 3 weeks old. Then to Kahshe Lake, Muskoka in my teen years; I even formed, with friends, the Kahshe Lake Junior Cottagers Association. For the past 40+ years we have owned a cottage on Catchacoma Lake in the Kawartha Highlands.
Cottage life is in my blood. I only spent one summer in the city when first married! We bought our cottage before a house—that was the priority. Need I say more?
Being water-access only, we are seasonal cottagers. All know that cottages are ‘maintenance’ for the owners and ‘vacation’ for friends and family. Some say a money pit, for sure. But how about ending up owning a marina with 65 others so we could get to our cottages!
My skills sets relate to the not for profit sector in governance, membership, strategic planning along with other portfolios geared to this sector. I was appointed by the Provincial Government in Council to sit on the Management Advisory Board of the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park when it was given royal consent for 11 years. I also have board experience, both on national boards as well as provincial charities.”
(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

Deborah Martin-Downs
FOCA Director
Muskoka Lakes Association
Deb’s story:
Deborah is an environmental professional trained in Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo (1979) and has a Masters of Zoology/Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto (1984) with a specialty in aquatic ecology. Over her 30-year career she has held progressively senior positions in the public and private sector. She joined Credit Valley Conservation in 2013 as the Chief Administrative Officer, a position she continues to hold. In this role she is responsible for a staff of over 180 environmental specialists and a budget of approximately $23 million.
Deborah has been cottaging on Breezy Point, Lake Muskoka for 60 years. From its humble beginnings as a home built ‘box’, the pride of Shirley and Ron Martin, it has changed over the years to accommodate a growing family. She took over ownership of the cottage from her parents five years ago to ensure the next generation continues to enjoy the lake. Deb is married to Jim Downs and has two sons in their 20s.
(Joined FOCA Board 2020)

Daryle Moffatt
FOCA Treasurer
Otter Lake Ratepayers Association
“Here’s my story: My wife and I own a cottage on Otter Lake just south of Parry Sound. We purchased the cottage in 1998 after arriving back to Canada from living in Luxembourg. The couple we purchased the cottage from still have the place next door.
I had spent a few weekends at friend’s cottages over the years, so owning a cottage was very new to me but my wife had spent summers at friends’ cottages in the past. Travelling from Toronto along old Hwy.69 (when it was only two lanes) was a challenge of my patience in the beginning, and going home was very difficult, sometimes taking 5 hours. Nonetheless we continued to make the drive almost every weekend from Easter to Thanksgiving. With Highway 400 now twinned north of Parry Sound the drive up is better, but still the drive home is more difficult because I would rather be at the cottage than driving back to Toronto.
We can only drive in to our cottage during three seasons, but coming up in the winter—first by foot, then by snowshoe, and lastly by snowmobile—in my view, is the best, even with the challenges. It is quieter and you get a better sense of life with the fire burning inside. Then you go out and breathe in and, when it is cold, your nostrils stick together. And there is tobogganing, skating on the lake and playing in the snow—how Canadian!
Since 2014 I have sat on the Board of the Otter Lake Ratepayers’ Association as Treasurer. I also sit on our local cottage road association as the Secretary & Treasurer. As a founding member of the road association, I have had many challenges that I could not have appreciated until stepping into the issues; I think I have learned enough about practical road issues to write a book.
My professional background includes the fact that I am a Chartered Accountant with over 25-years of experience. For over 5 years now I have been working as a sole practitioner, with a focus on taxation. This allows me the freedom to run my own schedule and spend more time at the cottage. Taking a conference call from “my office” is very different these days.
Given my background working with numbers, I track my days at the cottage and in 2016, I finally achieved one of my cottage goals: more than 100 days at the cottage! I achieved this milestone by spending nearly all of August at the cottage with my daughter.
At the cottage, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, but I especially like to work on my hobbies, and build or renovate to try and improve things for my family, and hopefully for my daughter’s family, down the road. I would like to think that I could retire sooner rather than later, so I can spend even more time at the cottage; I will put that on my cottage goal list, so I have something to reach for over the next few years.”
(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

Bruce Moore
FOCA Director
Canonto Lake Property Owners Association
Bruce’s friends and professional colleagues describe him as a social activist. As a FOCA speaker, in November 2015, he described lessons he learned from community organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America that can help cottagers across Ontario to build more sustainable communities and inclusive lake associations. Over his international career, spanning 37 years, he has always aimed to strengthen community-based organizations as the agents of local development. He hopes that his experience in the not-for-profit sector followed by ten years as a senior United Nations diplomat can be useful to FOCA members by deepening the ways for cottager’s interests to be better acted upon by officials at all levels.
Bruce and his wife Anne have been cottagers since 1986 when they bought vacant property on Canonto Lake (1.5 hours from Ottawa), self-building the lake house that is the family’s common meeting point. In 2007 Bruce and Anne were among the core group of cottagers that founded the Canonto Lake Property Owners Association. First Anne and now Bruce serves on the Executive Committee. In addition, Bruce chaired the lake planning committee, whose Lake Stewardship Plan was widely endorsed by the community in 2012 and noted by North Frontenac Township to be the first plan in the municipality. A more recent project was to convene community volunteers, from the wider area, to restore the walking trails in the Palmerston Canonto Conservation Area, something to be replicated in other parts of the Township.
(Joined FOCA Board 2016)