What is Cottage Watch?

An effective Cottage Watch Program:

• Promotes local awareness and ownership of the Program and its objectives;
• Establishes partnerships with like organizations and law enforcement;
• Promotes property identification initiatives;
• Reduces crime by assisting law enforcement in the detection and prevention of illegal activities;
• Embraces a Good Neighbourhood policy.
• Helps create a safer living environment through effective crime combating activities, such as:
  • Being aware of strangers in the community
  • Noticing unknown persons taking shortcuts through neighbourhoods
  • Identifying unfamiliar or suspicious vehicles and recording license plate numbers

Who administers the Oxtongue Lake Cottage Watch Program?

Our Cottage Watch Program is administered by local volunteers. A Program Coordinator is assisted by several Road Coordinators who, in turn, are assisted by Program Members (good neighbours) who make up our community.

What are the roles we play and who fills them?

1. Cottage Watch Member: All Members of the Community
   • Is a good neighbour (aware and involved)
   • Gets to know general patterns of their neighbours
   • Reports Crime in progress to 911
   • Shares relevant information about reported suspicious activities and crimes with Road Coodinator, who keeps a log/journal
   • Helps out an absent neighbour by keeping an eye on their place
   • Ensures their alternate contact number is recorded in the community CW database and encourages their neighbours to do the same
2. Road Coodinator:
   • Is main point of contact for residents and cottagers on their road
   • Keeps a log/journal of suspicious activities and crimes as reported to them by the residents and cottagers on their road (Note: Residents and cottagers are themselves responsible for reporting suspicious activities and crimes to the authorities)
   • Promotes awareness among residents and cottagers on their road
   • Communicates relevant information to residents and cottagers on their road
   • Provides back-up for other Road Coodinators as necessary
   • Interfaces regularly with Program Coodinator and other Road Coodinators (brief meetings, email, etc)
3. Program Coodinator: Paul Bailey
   • Ensures overall coordination of the OL CW program
   • Liaises with OPP Community Liaison
   • Liaises with Oxtongue Lake Association as defined by the Exec Committee
   • Is the main point of contact for Road Coodinators and interfaces with them regularly
   • Keeps information about crime and suspicious behaviour as reported by the Road Coodinators
   • Promotes the CW program with members of the community
   • Is the keeper of the CW Material (Road signs, Decals, Engravers, etc.)
   • Coordinates Crime Prevention events and workshops for the community
   • Checks crimealerts.ca regularly to keep up to date on reported crimes

How do I get involved?

To get involved with the Oxtongue Lake Cottage Watch Program, when you become a member or booster on this site (link here), there is an option in the sign up form to select to be a part of Cottage Watch.  You may also contact  Cottage Watch Coordinator, Paul Bailey, any Road Coodinator, your neighbour, to learn more about our Cottage Watch Program or read the cottage watch manual.  Click here: 2014 Cottage Watch Manual

The Oxtongue Lake Cottage Watch Program has been established and implemented by concerned local residents and cottagers in partnership with the Oxtongue Lake Association (OLA), the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association (FOCA) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

| Oxtongue Lake Cottage Watch Brochure |