1. What is your camper to counselor and staff ratio?

Our ratio is one Bil-O-Wood counselor or staff person for every four campers. On the younger camper canoe trips the ratio is often 1 to 2.

2. What clothing and special equipment will campers need?

Please view the clothing and canoe tripping equipment lists in PARENT INFO tab.

3. What about money at camp?

We recommend that campers do not keep money in their cabins. Each family deposits funds for their camper in a spending account to cover canteen, laundry, church, and other miscellaneous needs.

4. How do campers get to Bil-O-Wood

Please see the Transportation section under SIGN UP tab.

5. How does my camper get clean clothing?

Each week a camper’s dirty clothing is taken to a local laundry service and returned clean in a few days. Costs are covered by their spending account.

6. May campers bring electronic equipment?

Bil-O-Wood prefers that campers have as little electronic equipment in camp as possible. I-pods are acceptable. DVD players, cell phones, computers and other electronic toys and games are discouraged. We can not be responsible for the loss or damage of expensive electronic equipment.

More importantly, this is the time in a child’s life for them to be with nature and enjoy the outdoors.

7. How does Bil-O-Wood handle emails?

We prefer that you correspond with your children via the postal service. Internet access is limited in our rural setting and campers do not have access to either sending or receiving emails.

Emails tend to cause campers and counselors challenges because of the immediacy of their content. Cabin groups work daily on in camp issues and don’t need to handle issues outside of camp.

Emergencies from home should be covered with a direct phone call to the camp director who will take care to put you in contact with your child as quickly as possible.

8. Are there poisonous snakes or vegetation at Bil-O-Wood?

There are no poisonous snakes in our part of Ontario and little poisonous vegetation. Our cold winters minimize these occurrences.

9. How frequently do campers swim?

Campers have the opportunity to swim, before breakfast, at morning and afternoon swim call and during evening activity. Some campers choose swimming or water sports as a scheduled activity during instructional program time.

10. How does Bil-O-Wood provide water safety?

Every Bil-O-Wood counselor and staff member is a certified lifeguard and is certified in CPR. Our waterfront utilizes a “buddy system” to frequently check and count campers during swim call and water activities.

11. How are medications handled?

We ask that parents send to camp only those medications that are absolutely necessary. All medications MUST be given to the camp nurse upon arrival. The medical staff disperses medication daily and on as needed basis. No medication may be in the cabins.

12. What happens if my child gets sick?

Campers who are not feeling well are taken to the medical suite. They are evaluated by the camp nurse. There is space in the suite for them to stay if they are too ill to be in their cabin or need to be isolated from other campers. When necessary, campers are taken to town to be evaluated by a local doctor. The Blind River hospital is only four miles away for urgent or emergency medical needs. Parents are notified immediately of any serious conditions related to their child.

13. What if my camper has food allergies?

Campers’ medical conditions are reported on the Medical Report Form completed by the family doctor prior to the campers’ arrival at Bil-O-Wood. Based on that information appropriate action will be taken by the medical and foodservice staff in camp to avoid and or treat food allergies.

14. Who takes care of the campers once they are in bed?

Younger campers go to bed 1 to 2 hours before the older campers; and all campers are in bed at least 1 hour before their counselors. Each evening counselors and staff members are assigned to “hill duty” which means they are responsible for checking the cabins and campers on a regular basis. The purpose of hill duty is to watch over the campers and ensure that they are safe and sleeping until their counselor returns to the cabin. By midnight all counselors are in their cabins and hill duty is over for that evening.