Oct 29, 2019
By Craig Ritchie
Suzie Miron
The International Joint Commission (IJC), a bi-national organisation established by the Canadian and American governments to manage water quality and levels on the Great Lakes, has appointed Montreal city councilor Suzie Miron to its International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River management board effective immediately.
Miron joins Bill Reilich, a supervisor for the town of Greece, New York, as the newest member of the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River board. The appointment of Miron and Reilich reflects the board’s commitment to solicit greater local-level input with respect to water management issues.
The submerged fuel dock at Ed Huck Marine in the Thousand Islands in the summer of 2019.
Water levels for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River are controlled by the Moses-Saunders Dam near Cornwall. The IJC has come under heavy criticism over the past three years following the implementation of new water level management protocols that are being widely blamed for contributing toward record flooding in 2017 and again this year. That criticism peaked this summer after marina operators, municipalities from across the region and even former New York State governor Mario Cuomo claimed that a sluggish response by IJC to heavy spring rainfall directly contributed to extensive flooding that left marina infrastructures including docks, electrical equipment, fuel pumps and septic systems underwater for months, resulting in billions of dollars in damage.
When asked about the potential costs of the flooding, Boating Ontario president Rick Layzell was point-blank, stating “make no mistake about it, the clean-up costs for this are going to be absolutely staggering,”
Bronte Harbor docks in the summer of 2019.
The Great Lakes region remains the largest and most economically important recreational boating market in North America, with the highest number of boats per capita and the highest level of new boat registrations annually in both sides of the international border.
Miron and Reilich join the IJC Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River board as it prepares to review water management policy moving forward. The agency recently concluded a series of public meetings held across the region, with written submissions due by October 31.
Marine Industry Career Path: Brett Ramsey

Wendy and Brett Ramsey
Boating Industry Canada is kicking off its Marine Industry Career Path series once again. For the first installments this year, we have two subjects to highlight. Introducing Wendy and Brett Ramsey!
The Ramsey’s have been working in the marine industry for many years but have both had unique paths in getting to where they are now. They’ve also been working on an impactful pilot project for a long time, which will now be launching this spring. The focus of this initiative is to bring more young people into the marine industry.
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Building on its award-winning M Series, Bayliner unveiled the all-new M19 at the Miami International Boat Show. The M19 joins the M Series lineup of the M15 and M17 delivering the stability and versatility the series is known for with a focus on expanding boater participation through its intuitive design, ease of maintenance and inclusive price point.
With an overall length of 19 feet and starting at $30,995 USD, the M19 is built on an improved M-hull foundation offering increased stability and automotive style handling for familiarity to appeal to the next generation of boaters. The M19 features an upgraded nine-person capacity and is watersports capable for a full day of adventure on the water.
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Televisions on a boat are increasingly commonplace. With the simple-to-install Glomex Avior VT300 Omnidirectional TV/FM antenna from GA Communications, it's never been easier to bring analog and digital broadcasts onboard—at a price that's hard to ignore.
The most noticeable feature of the Avior VT300 antenna is its compact white, anti-yellowing radome. At only 4" dia. x 8" H and 8.8 oz., it's specifically made for smaller boats that can't accommodate large TV antenna domes and only need short range reception, depending on height and conditions. The amplifier allows the antenna to have an increase in gain with a 24.5 dB average to receive vertical and horizontal polarized TV signals simultaneously from 360°.
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Airmar hires Suzanne Hawley as Brand Manager

The Leader in Ultrasonic Technology and Multi-sensor Solutions Continues to Grow in Talent and Innovation. AIRMAR® Technology Corporation, a world leader in ultrasonic transducers and Chirp technology, has named Suzanne Hawley as the Brand Manager for the company’s wholly owned distributor, Gemeco Marine Electronics Specialists, located in Lake City, SC.
Hawley comes to Airmar with extensive marketing and PR experience in the marine electronics industry including 20 years as the owner of Hawley Communications, a consulting agency focused on creative marketing solutions for businesses in the recreational boating industry.
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