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Welcome Aboard
CharterAbility was founded to promote accessible boating and
provide a barrier-free, fully accessible, charter boat service on
Lake Ontario for groups of people of all ages with disabilities or
mobility impairments.
Since its incorporation in 2003, CharterAbility has sought to “spread the
word” and gain support for its initiative within the community – residents in
the GTA, business owners, members of the provincial government, the
municipalities, and the boating community at large.
We have been encouraged, and sometimes overwhelmed, by the support we have
received. More than ever, we are committed to enriching the lives of people with
disabilities.
To learn why we embarked upon this voyage take a look at the
About Us page. Visit the Captain’s Log
to discover what we’ve been up to and explore the links for more information.
If you would like to know more about the challenges that lie ahead, share our
dream, and help turn it into a reality we would be delighted to hear from you.
We would welcome your input. So please take time to visit the
Take the Helm page and complete the questionnaire.
Cruise for a Cause 10
As most of you know, our first cruise of the year is usually out of Port Credit. Unfortunately this year the Wayward Princess isn't allowed to dock at Snug Harbour. So, we've had to move the cruise to Oakville. We sincerely hope that our friends in Port Credit will be able to make it because you guys sure know how to party! And, knowing how much you like Chuck Jackson and his band, they've agreed to come along to get things moving on the dance floor. Oakville ... stand by! Port Credit ... come on down!
Accessible, Recreational Docking is coming to Oakville!
The collaboration between the Wai Nui O Kanaka Outrigger Canoe Club and CharterAbility has finally paid dividends with a $99,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and a 20-year lease to land adjoining Oakville Harbour from the Town of Oakville. And, the Rick Hansen Foundation has chipped in with a grant of $3,500 dollars and a promise of more for next year.
Spearheaded by Wai Nui’s Commodore, Wendy Perkins, assisted by our Executive Officer, Alan Tonge, the effort has been ongoing since the beginning of 2007. While Wendy was busy setting up appointments and getting quotations Alan prepared the budget and a presentation video, following which they completed a business proposal for submission to the Town of Oakville..
During the first few months of 2007 several presentations were made to special interest groups and committees throughout Oakville following which the Town Council directed its Department of Parks and Open Spaces “to work cooperatively with “PARDners” to develop a business plan for accessible recreational docking at Oakville Harbour.”
While discussions with the Town staff were underway, Wendy and Alan set about an application for funding to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Wendy’s experience from her other charitable endeavors, such as Home Suite Hope, proved invaluable in preparing the application which was approved at the beginning of June. And then, just before our September Cruise for a Cause final agreement was reached with the Town on a lease.
The September cruise gave us an opportunity to publicly announce the Trillium grant. Oakville’s MPP, Mr. Kevin Flynn kindly agreed to make the announcement on Oakville pier alongside the Wayward Princess just prior to departure. The Ontario Trillium Foundation was represented by Angela DiCintio and Gilmar Militar, and Oakville’s Mayor, Rob Burton, honoured us with his presence.
The grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Rick Hansen Foundation will cover the cost of 100’ of accessible dock, canoe storage compounds and racks (both private and public) and will partially fund the accessible washrooms, the remainder being provided, we hope, by the Town.
Either way, we still have to undertake a major fundraising effort in order to complete the landscaping work that will make the area truly accessible to persons with disabilities and mobility challenges. Although we are hoping to enlist the support of local contractors in providing some of the necessary labour and materials, we will likely need to raise an additional $50,000 to translate our vision into a reality.
The accessible dock is located beneath the Rebecca Street bridge adjoining Busby Park, as shown below.
We are grateful for funding from:
 
If you would like to find out more about our accessible, recreational docking project please follow the link below.
New! Now You Can Donate Online
To ALL of our friends who have made donations, and helped persons with disabilities take to the water, please accept their thanks and our appreciation. We will be publishing some of their ‘thank you’ letters, and magazine articles related to accessible docking, so you can see for yourself what a difference your support makes!
We have registered with …
… and can now accept donations on-line. If you would like to contribute to boat cruises for persons with disabilities or to the accessible recreational docking in Oakville, all you have to do is click the following link - CanadaHelps - Home – and you will be redirected, automatically.
When you enter ‘CharterAbility’ in the search window and follow the instructions you will be able to donate as you wish and include your instructions on how you would like your donation to be put to use.
It’s quick and easy … and your tax receipt will be sent to you immediately.
CanadaHelps, a public charitable foundation (896568417RR0001), is Canada's only donation portal that provides access to all of Canada's 80,000 charities, from national organizations like national cancer charities to smaller groups like local animal shelters and soup kitchens
For donors, CanadaHelps.org simplifies the donating process, making it easy, quick and secure. On any pages where you share personal information or perform financial transactions, CanadaHelps.org encrypts your data using Secure Socket Layers (SSL), allowing you to send and receive information without the worry of having it intercepted. Put simply, donors go online, select as many charities as they wish, make their donation and receive a tax receipt for each donation immediately.
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