The Friends of Chiniguchi organization was formed by environmentalist, Mike McIntosh and a group of other concerned paddlers, at a time when the Chiniguchi Waterway was under threat from a variety of sources.

As part of Ontario's Living Legacy Land Use Strategy, there was a proposal for the Chiniguchi Waterway to receive Park Status as the Chiniguchi Waterway Park. This proposal was met by considerable opposition from the local cottage association, ATV users, and certain groups in the mining sector.

It soon became apparent, that there were no interest groups speaking on behalf of the canoeists' interests in the area. For this reason, coupled with the fact that some of the canoe routes and campsites in the area were in dire need of maintenance and repair, the Friends of Chiniguchi organization was formed.

Over the past several years, our group has taken on an advocacy role in protecting our beloved canoe routes, and has been active in the parks planning process with Ontario Parks and the Ministry of Natural Resources, as well as organizing stewardship programs for the canoe routes throughout the Chiniguchi area.