Simcoe & District

Stretching from Big Chute in Simcoe County all the way down to the shores of Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto, the Simcoe and District local of OMSPA includes Simcoe County, Dufferin County and the Regional Municipalities of Peel, York and the City of Toronto.  As one of the largest districts in OMSPA, our members and sugar camps offer a wide range of products, experiences and some of the best maple syrup in Ontario!

Peter Lorriman – President

Brent Beers – Vice President

Glenn Desroches – Treasurer

Michelle O'Sullivan – Secretary

Jack McFadden – Local Membership

John Williams – Board Member

Andre Desroches – Board Member

Amy Beers – Web Journalist 1

705-331-2388

amypmoore@gmail.com

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Anne Lorriman – Web Journalist 2

705-526-0769

lorriman@xplornet.com

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Jack and Janet McFadden are the proud owners and operators of Maple Ridge Enterprises.  Located at 15766 Hwy 12, near Midland and close to the shores of Georgian Bay and the Wye Marsh Wildlife Center, Maple Ridge is a gem nestled in one of the most picturesque areas of Simcoe County.

In 2006, Jack retired from a career in the Ministry of Natural Resources and he and Janet relocated to the area after being drawn into the potential of the forest and woodlot on his property.  Back then, Jack and Janet had trees in their eyes, not syrup but that all changed in 2011 when they met Max Wagg, a long time maple producer who provided guidance and assistance in the initial years of Maple Ridges’ development. 2011 saw the sugar house construction and laying of pipe line across their bush and in 2012, Maple Ridge celebrated their first production year by enthusiastically hosting the “First Tapping for the Simcoe and District Local” to kick off their maple season!

Almost 10 years later, Maple Ridge is still a family run operation, spanning three generations including an enthusiastic pack of grandchildren, the oldest of which is an impressive and helpful 5 years of age! 

Despite the temptations to expand their operation, Jack and Janet have made the decision to keep their operation at the “hobby level” to ensure that it is a manageable size for the two of them for many years to come. To date they have 342 taps and are planning this fall for the addition of 104 new taps making a total of 446, all on pipeline with a wood fired evaporator and a vacuum system.  Jack and Janet work together, each spring starting with snow-shoes tapping in the bush and sometimes ending the season in shorts - and they love it every minute of it! 

Maple Ridge is an impressive 46 acre property, of which 27 acres are hard wood maple mixed with beech and ash. This year Jack noticed that some of his maples along the roadside, medium and larger sized trees were dying back so invited some forestry experts to consult on this issue. They determined the reason for the die back was that the area had previously been used as a grazing area and pasture for cattle which caused compaction and root exposure, all helpful information to manage their sugar bush. Maple Ridge sits on heavy clay soil resulting in producing a darker full flavoured, maple syrup.

Maple Ridge Enterprises is a 100 % maple syrup producer, selling from their farm gate, and sugar house location. For family and friends they often do small tours of their sugar house and bush explaining the operation and walking the trails on their beautiful property. New to 2021, Maple Ridge plans to participant in Fall in Love with Maple the 9 day OMSPA event this September/October, to open to the public for maple syrup production education, self-guided walks in the sugar bush and maple syrup sales.

Jack & Janet McFadden

Maple Ridge Enterprises

15766 Hwy 12, just outside of Midland

Send your classifieds to Amy Beers amypmoore@gmail.com or Anne Lorriman lorriman@xplornet.com

News from our area coming soon!