Safety Tips

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Food

Porta potties aren’t exactly spa retreats—so aim to spend as little time in them as possible. If you’re sharing food and drink with friends and campmates, we’d encourage you to make sure you’re being sanitary.

Theme camps bringing food as a gift to other participants don’t need a permit, but they do need to follow national food safety standards. For information on best practices and other resources on this topic follow this link.

Food Safety Guidelines

  • Bring thermometers to check your cooler and food temperatures.
  • Keep cold things at 4°C or lower and heat food to 74°C or higher.
  • Wash your hands frequently.
  • Bring a jug of water, liquid soap, catch tray, and paper towels for hand washing.
  • Place your food prep and serving area under cover.
  • Bring your own utensils, cup, and plate.
  • Don’t leave food out in the sun.
  • Don’t keep food that should be refrigerated at room temperature.
  • Don’t serve food to others with bare hands – use tongs or gloves.
  • Don’t cook raw meat or dairy if you can avoid it; reheat prepared food only.
A handy trick for dishwashing: use three spray bottles—one with soapy water, one with clean water, and one with vinegar for a final disinfecting rinse.

Wild Animals and Nature

Keep your food stored securely—to avoid messes, food safety issues, and surprise visits from wild animals (or wild Burners). The area is home to garter snakes, skunks, porcupines, coyotes, and other furry or slithery friends, so be mindful.

Tip: Keep your tent zipped when not in use to avoid unexpected roommates.

Ticks

Expect ticks, mosquitoes, and other buzzing, biting nuisances. Tick populations in Ontario have hit record highs in the past few years–so be warned! Wear socks and pants… or long socks and no pants? Make sure to check yourself and your friends daily. Tick bites can transmit Lyme disease, but don’t panic–awareness and quick removal are key.

  1. If you find a tick on yourself go to First Aid so they can remove it.
  2. A tick can be removed with tweezers or a tick key. Grab it by the head, not the belly. Do not put anything on the tick or try to burn it as this may also lead to the tick releasing bacteria into the bite area.
  3. Wash the area with soap and water.
  4. If a bite is infected with Lyme disease, a circular rash that looks like a bullseye may appear within 3-30 days in about 70-80% of cases. It is possible to be infected and not get a rash. If you suspect a tick has been on you for 48 hours or longer, save it in a ziplock and head to a doctor when you get home – when caught early, most cases of Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.
Tip: Bring a sticky lint roller with you to use on your clothing at the end of the day, before crawling into your tent. It’s a quick and easy way to catch any sneaky ticks that might have hitched a ride.

For more information on tick safety and prevention follow this link.

Photo credit: Header image by Derek Samaha, used with permission.
Land Acknowledgement
We gather for SideBurn on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, the Huron-Wendat, the Mississaugas, and other Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work and build community on this land.