TIARA is founded

In November of 1975, Parks Canada announced that with a huge expansion budget, its 1000 Islands park holdings (which then consisted of all or parts of about 15 islands, several tiny islands or shoals and some mainland property) would be expanded to take in 30 square miles of islands and mainland to become the flagship national park, easily accessible from Ottawa. It expressed confidence that acquisition of all this land would be completed in five years. This expansion was in fact already underway: one large island (Leek Island) had already recently been expropriated.

There was a wave of protest from private landowners. The 30 square miles was no wilderness,as other National Parks were. There were long-established and thriving communities; there were lovingly tended island and mainland properties, many of which had been in the same family for many generations. There was a strong love of the area and a deep sense of its beauty and history. TIARA, the Thousand Islands Area Residents' Association, was formed and incorporated with Douglas Mackintosh as its founding President. News traveled fast: although it was still wintertime, TIARA soon had a large and active membership of both seasonal and permanent residents.

Parks Canada at that time had a poor record of public participation in other park locations, and in an effort to rectify this image in the 1000 Islands, it set up an Advisory Committee on which various bodies (including TIARA) and levels of government were represented. Local fear and mistrust was still running high, however, and would continue.

By March of 1976, TIARA's membership had passed 1500 and donations of over $18,500 had been received.