Sans Souci Marina Operations Update

Dear Cottagers and our extended Sans Souci Family.

Before we begin, we hope that you and your family are staying safe and healthy. It is April 5th when this letter was prepared and there will likely still be at least 5 days left of ice at the marina. Regardless, the Ontario Government has severely restricted our operational ability. While the store remains open at this time we are unable to deliver boats to any customers. Nor are we permitted by law to transport any person except to their permanent residence. We do not know when these restrictions will change.

Pursuant to these Government imposed mandates we have been wondering what will happen to the cottage season of 2020. We are of course are eager to welcome back our extended Sans Souci Family for our 29th season. We know that #cottagelife is something that we all value. For those of you that aren’t aware we are now 72 and 76 years old. This is relevant because of the recommendations of the medical community to minimize our exposure and therefore risk to Covid-19.

In order to protect our health and our team’s health and to comply with Government ordered actions we by necessity have had to make some changes to the way that we will operate this season. These were not easy decisions. However, we really want to be around for our 30th year and beyond. This assumes that the situation with Covid-19 maintains its current pace.

• We will not be hiring dock staff this summer. This is because we cannot provide personal protective equipment to our team and we very much believe in their safety.
• We will still offer mechanical services however we ask that you please respect social distancing.
• We will not be doing scooped cones. We will sell tubs of ice cream instead. We will carry the basic flavours from Kawartha Dairy. If you want a special flavour, please call us in advance so we can order it for you. We only order once per week (usually Monday by 9am) for Thursday delivery. This is dependent on Kawartha Dairy and their supply chain. Note that this could also affect milk and butter availability.
• We will be limiting the customers inside the store. Please respect that we will be asking people to wait outside or in their boats. Dress appropriately.
• We will be limiting customer interactions. We love our customers but at this critical time we need to safeguard our health. Thank you for your understanding.
• We will still accept cash however we will ask you to place it in an envelope we will then make change from the till. This is to minimize our contact with cash. With the exception of LCBO we would prefer that all customers pay with electronic means, however you can use debit for LCBO purchases.
• We will be offering a call-in service so that we can prepare your orders in advance. We cannot guarantee availability of all items. We will do our best, however we are at the mercy of the local supply chain which has been unstable. If we do not have what you need we will inform you when you call.
• Water Taxi is not available except to permanent residents until the Government dictates otherwise.
• LCBO has experienced some supply chain issues. If you are looking for specific products, we need to know by Monday 9am for Friday delivery. We apologize for the timelines these are mandated by the LCBO and Beer Store. We may request a deposit for these orders.

You may or may not be aware that ALL the surrounding Marinas are closed until after June 30th. This is subject to change. They will not be putting boats in the water nor their docks. We will be unable to deliver boats until changes are permitted by the Ontario Government. We can put boats in the water but you must come to the marina on your own to pick them up. As stated, the store will be open as we provide 4 essential services (fuel, convenience store, LCBO, and marine mechanical services).

We would like to ensure that our contact list is up to date so that we can provide timely updates to our customers as soon as possible as the situation changes. We have setup a Facebook page (search for LeBlanc Sans Souci Marina). We will post our latest updates there.

In closing, we thank every single one of you for your business and friendship over the years. We pray for your continued safety and health. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call us.

Your Friends

Remi and Claire Leblanc
Sans Souci Marina
Phone: 705-746-5598
Fax: 705-746-2960
Email Main & e-transfer: leblancssm@outlook.com
Financial email: leblancssm1@outlook.com