Minnows and memories

CBM Aggregates’ McMillan Pond hosts kids and cops for an unforgettable day of fishing

Do you remember catching your very first fish? If you grew up in Ontario, with its wealth of unspoiled freshwater lakes and rivers, chances are you’ve never forgotten the excitement of that tug on the line and the thrill of pulling a sparkling silver fish out of the water.

In 2023, CBM Aggregates hosted a “Kids and Cops” event that gave a group of children that same wonderful opportunity. The event paired children who might otherwise never experience fishing with police officers in a fun day at the rehabilitated McMillan Pond near Aberfoyle. The experience was made possible by the Fishing Forever Foundation, which supports the program whose aim is to open minds and build bridges.

“The McMillan site is a restored gravel pit in the Township of Puslinch, 15 or 20 minutes south of Guelph,” says Steve May, lands manager for CBM Aggregates. “It operated as a tip for approximately 10 years and was restored to a natural condition starting in 2002.” Naturalization contouring on the property, which is just under 100 acres, with a 65-acre lake, was completed in 2007. “At that particular area there's very high-quality aggregate material located below the water table,” says May.

Once extraction was complete, the lake on the site was clean and clear but utterly bereft of life. After May joined the company about five years ago, new technology with floating raceways allowed CBM to put a controlled amount of nutrient into the pond. Essentially, May says, the system works via a network of docks that enclose the fish with screens on both sides. “Water is fed through on an airlift system and there’s an airstone, like what you would have in an aquarium system.”

Rainbow trout are the focal species, but CBM also stocks bluegills, which are a sunfish-type species, and some native minnows, and they have all flourished in the lake. Besides fish species, the pond has attracted numerous birds, including a pair of bald eagles, blue herons, common terns, diving ducks, osprey and a family of loons. In addition, the pond hosts turtles, frogs, salamanders and crayfish that have migrated on their own from the surrounding area. The dissolved fish waste used to encourage the rehabilitation process in the lake was sourced from Izumi Aquaculture, Inc., which also opened a fish production facility on the property.

 The company’s president Wayne Izumi founded the “Kids and Cops” program with his brother Bob, who is well known as a professional angler and long-time host of Bob Izumi's Real Fishing Show. “My brother and I started the Fishing Forever Foundation over 25 years ago, and for at least 20 years we’ve supported a ‘Kids and Cops’ program,” Wayne says. “We wanted to put some of our money back into supporting fishing.”

Creating connection

Multiple “Kids and Cops” events take place in different locations each year. “In our peak years, before COVID, we had up to 80 events a year – mainly in Ontario, but also in Saskatchewan,” says Izumi. The program was designed to create a community connection between youth and local law enforcement. All the equipment is normally provided to the young participants, and they receive some basic instruction in fishing techniques.

Holding the event at McMillan Pond was a natural idea because Izumi Aquaculture already had a presence there. “We produce steelhead trout for market consumption, and we are also vertically integrated from egg to plate, so we also have a hatchery,” Izumi says. “We go right from eggs to fingerlings to mature fish for market. We have stocking programs; we sell fish for stocking private ponds.”

The event paired Guelph Police Service officers with youth from the Brant Avenue Neighborhood Group. It was not the first time Guelph Police were involved. “We've been doing this since 2012,” says Inspector David Doxey, who works with the Neighbourhood Services Division of the Guelph Police Service. “It had always been a hobby of mine, and still is. I always enjoyed it. We work with kids who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to enjoy a day of fishing. We always reach out to the youth centres or the neighbourhood groups that work with children.”

Besides simply creating an enjoyable day for all involved, pairing police officers with neighbourhood children has many potential benefits for both the participants and their community. “All the studies say that fishing is one of the best activities for a kid because it’s one of the few activities where a kid can outperform an adult,” Doxey says. “Some of the kids who come out to that event can really use that. The expression on their faces and that sense of achievement make the entire event worthwhile.”

In addition, connecting with police in a relaxed and happy way may be something that stays with a child for a long time afterwards, potentially bringing about positive changes for them, their families and the broader community. “It’s an event where cops and kids can bond together and just create a good relationship,” says Doxey. “This year we reached out to the Brant Avenue Neighbourhood Group. We had about 20 youth, and their parents came with them. Having that opportunity to mentor them allows the police service to increase that commitment to enhancing the quality of life while contributing to the positive growth of the community.”

New experiences

It’s especially impactful, adds Izumi, for new Canadians. “This is increasingly important for new immigrants because many have had no exposure to sport fishing and some of them are coming from cultures where the sight of someone in uniform is a scary thing,” he says. “The reward is the smiles we see on their faces and the pride in being able to enhance the quality of their life.” Then there’s the fun of the sport. “At McMillan I think 80 per cent of them caught their very first fish, while 100 per cent of them caught fish,” Izumi says.

“I think every one of them caught at least a dozen fish,” adds May. “The bluegills were very accommodating. We fed them hamburgers and sausages, and it was about as good a day as you could get – sunny with a light breeze and about 20 degrees. It was a perfect day all around.”

“It was really interesting to see young girls from Syria,” continues May. “I can't imagine the changes they’ve experienced. To be out there and to see the smiles on their faces when they're in a pretty environment and catching the fish, and then to have the stars align, to have the fish cooperating – the fishing was something that even very experienced fishermen would have appreciated.”

The police officers who helped out were keen anglers and they were very helpful, but the event would not have been possible without CBM Aggregates having successfully rehabilitated the pond and surrounding land. The work and effort to make this possible was appreciated by all involved. “It's really nice to see a corporate partner taking the steps they take to rehabilitate and populate a piece of land as they have, restoring it to a productive part of the ecosystem,” May says. “[It shows a] commitment to the community and a commitment to the environment.

For CBM, it proved an excellent opportunity to showcase the immense possibilities that exist with the successful rehabilitation of a former pit or quarry, while simultaneously doing something good for young people who might otherwise never have the opportunity to learn to fish. “It really helps with our business sustainability, and we like to support local communities and local initiatives,” says May, adding that CBM is already planning to repeat the event in 2024.