This webpage is hosted by FOCA, on behalf of our member group. Please connect with MLCA using the links below.
NOTE: the top header and bottom footer of this page contain links that will take you to additional pages on the FOCA website.
Welcome to the MLCA webpage!
About the Lake:
Located in beautiful Muskoka just 10 kms east of Bracebridge, Ontario, McKay Lake is a quiet refuge for busy lives. Click here to view McKay Lake on google maps.
A hundred years ago in the 1920s, McKay Lake was on the radar to be discovered as a lake for recreational and vacation purposes. Imagine a vacation getaway to enjoy swimming, boating, campfires, and fishing. Keep in mind to travel to the area was not a quick trip to the cottage. Highway 400, that most of us use to get out of the GTA, was not built until 1952. Click to download a brief history about the lake. (PDF, 1 page)
About the Association:
The McKay Lake Cottagers’ Association was created in 1987 as a means of bringing cottagers together as a group to promote the well-being of the lake and its natural surroundings. The Association was incorporated on June 19, 2001.
The Association was renamed to the McKay Lake Community Association in June 2020, to reflect the growing numbers of cottagers transitioning to year round residents, and to celebrate our lake as a community of persons committed to best practices for living on a lake.
Our Mission Statement:
The McKay Lake Community Association was established and is operated for the purpose of:
- Advancing the cultural and social interests of the seasonal and permanent owners and residents of properties on McKay Lake, Bracebridge, Ontario.
- Promoting research and communicating findings and best practices to support the health of McKay Lake and adjacent waterways.
- Fostering awareness of and concern for the environmental health of our lake.
- Communicating relevant information and items of interest to the lake community using a variety of communication tools.
By-Laws of the Association (download PDF, 7 pages)
Yearly membership is $25. Download the Membership Form (PDF, 1 page)
As a member of FOCA, all MLCA members get the Benefits outlined here: https://foca.on.ca/member-services/benefits/
Yearly Events:
We love to gather as a community at our annual AGM, silent auction, and children’s fishing derby in August with other fun events offered throughout the summer season!Additional Resources:
Our McKay Lake community enjoys clean water and an abundance of nature! Click to learn the Best Practices for Living on a Lake (download 1 page PDF).
There’s nothing that says lake life more than the call of the loon. Let’s work together to ensure we maintain a loon friendly lake! Learn more here.
Contact Info:
Please contact us at mckaylakeinfo@gmail.com
McKay Lake Land Acknowledgement:
As residents and cottagers of McKay Lake, we respectfully recognize that we are on the traditional lands of the Mississauga and the Anishinaabeg, which includes Ojibway, Chippewa and Algonquin peoples. As well as under the terms of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850 (Treaty 61) and the Williams Treaties of 1923.
As settlers, we are grateful for the opportunity to be here and we recognize these first nations as the original caretakers of this land and water. We hold our responsibility as a community to protect and respect McKay Lake and the surrounding lands, in high regard.
We also acknowledge the historical and ongoing injustices that indigenous people endure in Canada. We accept that we have a responsibility to learn, acknowledge, make space for and take actions towards real truth and reconciliation.
We recognize all generations of indigenous people and their connection to this land and water, as well as the enduring presence of first nations in the region. Specifically the Wahta Mohawks, Moose Deer Point First Nations, Chippewas of Georgina Island and Beausoleil First Nations.