Canadian GOOSE Fund

The Canadian Greater Ontario Outdoor Safety Education (GOOSE) Fund supports recreational safety and the outdoor spaces people enjoy in Ontario, Canada: its parks, trails, forests and lakes, and the people who explore them.

Why We're Asking

• Ontario's outdoors is huge, and it can be unforgiving. The province has more than 250,000 lakes, four of the five Great Lakes, and vast stretches of forest and backcountry. Cold water, early ice, sudden weather and long distances to help turn small mistakes into emergencies.
• Lots of people heading out are new to it, whether that's hiking, paddling, fishing, hunting or winter travel. Knowing how to plan a trip, read the ice or what to pack is what keeps a good day from becoming a search.
• Safe places to play need protecting. Parks, trails and wild spaces only stay open and healthy when people speak up for them and support the groups that look after them.
• Education is the best prevention, and almost every outdoor emergency is preventable. The GOOSE Fund pays for that education close to home.

What the Fund Supports

1. Outdoor safety education in Ontario: trip planning, cold-water and ice safety, paddling, hunting and fishing safety, and first aid.
2. Safety materials and gear for Ontario community programs, clubs and volunteer search and rescue teams.
3. Protecting recreational spaces through support for conservation groups such as the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).
4. Free tools for Ontarians, such as Scan Your Plan check-in alerts and Scan If Found gear registration.

We Support CPAWS

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is a national charity that has worked since 1963 to protect Canada's public land and water, including parks and wild places in Ontario.

How Your Donation Is Handled

• It stays with the fund. Every donation is recorded by the fund you choose, so a gift to the GOOSE Fund is kept separate from the Rec+Safe General Fund and the KTOO Waterway Conservation Fund.
• It's secure. Payments are processed by Square. Your card details go straight to Square and are never stored by Rec+Safe.
• You get a receipt. Add your email when you donate and we'll email you a receipt. The email is optional.
• It's tax-deductible in the U.S. Rec+Safe is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, so donations are tax-deductible in the U.S. to the extent allowed by law. Add your email and your receipt will show the amount, date and fund.

Other Ways to Help

• Share what you know. Send a friend our snow and ice safety tips or trip planning tips before their next outing.
• Leave a plan with Scan Your Plan every time you head out.
• Become a Rec+Safe member through our memberships.

See also: Donations (our general fund), the KTOO Waterway Conservation Fund and Conservation.