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Host is looking for help immediately
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
8 Mar 2026
Reply rate
100.0 %
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Details
Description
We are a family of 2 adult humans and 3 cats. We live in a lakeside home with 100 feet of shoreline on the North Channel of Lake Huron on Manitoulin Island (Rainbow Country!). In 2025, Manitoulin was voted in the top 10 places to visit in Canada by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
We are looking for a helper(s) to keep Julie and the cats company, and to help with basic things like feeding the cats, cleaning their litter, and providing simple meals for Julie. while Michael is away in April (March 31-April 19). Julie lives with moderate/severe myalgic encephalomyelitis and isn't able to stand or walk for any length of time. She is housebound other than medical appointments.
Who are we? Julie and Michael are in our late 50's. Julie is a former yoga teacher and Mike is a Patient Transport Attendant and a volunteer firefighter. We are quiet types (Mike very much so!), fairly introverted but enjoy good company and conversation. Our cats are our kids and it's important for Workawayers to love them as part of the family too. Mike enjoys windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding (SUP). In our 20's we travelled extensively for 1 year: Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, France, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey, England, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands.
This is a very low-key Workaway due to Julie's health situation. Lots of quiet space for reading, reflection, meditation and so on. But part of the joys of Workaway is the companionship. On good health days she will be quite chatty, and will want to hear all about you, but other times you'll be mostly on your own.
Languages: English and some French
We have a large bedroom downstairs with a fantastic view of the lake for our Workaway visitors. In April the lake can still be frozen, but not always,
Our home is located on the Eastern side of the Island on a long road with other lakeside properties and is a 15 minute drive from a full service town. There is no public transportation at this time. Taxis are an option but they're not cheap.
We follow a plant based diet, but do not cook from scratch. We expect Workawayers to eat plant based while in our home.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Elderly Companionship
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Interests
Pets
Self development
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Vegetarian or vegan
Charity work
Languages
History
Carpentry
Writing
Gardening
Books
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Workaway visitors will be able to experience life in rural northern Ontario on the largest freshwater island in the world. We can also share our travel experiences and compare what travelling was like pre-Internet to now.
Julie has been studying and practicing Theravada/Early Buddhism for many years and would love to share her interest. Mike has absorbed much of the teachings vicariously. We live a lifestyle of non-harming but are human and happily imperfect.
Having Workawayers share their stories from home and from their travels has been a wonderful way for us to be armchair travellers and we learn so much. It has been a real joy for us.
Help
Basic household tasks: feeding cats, vacuuming, loading/unloading dishwasher, cleaning cat litter, taking out the garbage and recycling, wiping down surfaces, cleaning appliances, daily cleaning of CPAP machine and filling with water, making electrolye drink, and other light tasks that come up. Snow clearing (winter)
Cat feeding schedule: 8:30am, 1pm, 6pm, 9:30pm
Julie's eating schedule: 11am and 4pm
Workawayers are expected to keep the house and their room clean and tidy. They will also be expected to help tidy up for Julie as she is often not able to do this herself. It is important that Workawayers understand the limitations a chronic disabling condition can have and that they are patient and understanding. Knowledge about the condition ME/CFS (moderate severity) would help. A good resource to learn about the illness and its limitations is the Bateman Horne Center.
🚗🚌Getting here: Manitoulin Island is a minimum 6 hour drive from Toronto. There are trains (Via) and buses (Northland) from Toronto to Sudbury, and then a bus from Sudbury to Espanola, then a taxi from there. The taxi ride is 45 minutes. Sometimes people arrange ride shares from Espanola or Sudbury through Facebook groups (Rideshare Manitoulin, What's Doin' on the Manitoulin) but do not pay in advance.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Accommodation
Large bedroom downstairs (ground level) with a double bed; private bathroom. The TV for the family is downstairs in the shared sitting area which you are welcome to use, keeping it clean and tidy. Shared meals in the kitchen, lots of shared deck space to enjoy the view.
WIFI can sometimes be limited due to band-width issues when multiple devices are on at the same time.
What else ...
*****Visas to Canada. Please only contact us if you already have a visa as we are not in a position to be able to help you with this process.*****
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
Pets must be cat friendly.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Jellybean
Gidget
Mobe
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (14)
Margaret kept the kitchen area clean, always tidying everything up after cooking, as well as tidying up after us too.
When we had… read more
🌱 My journey to set on a Workaway path is to grow and merge with my spirit.
Being around Julie and Michael is my first Workaway experience! I embodied fearlessness and a heightened state of happiness.
💝 Julie and Michael are very laid-back,… read more
The work was as described in their profile. Because of winter, our tasks were mostly indoors and consisted of housekeeping and vegan cooking/baking. As non-vegan people, it was interesting to try out vegan… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Margaret kept the kitchen area clean, always tidying everything up after cooking, as well as tidying up after us too.
When we had… read more
🌱 My journey to set on a Workaway path is to grow and merge with my spirit.
Being around Julie and Michael is my first Workaway experience! I embodied fearlessness and a heightened state of happiness.
💝 Julie and Michael are very laid-back,… read more
The work was as described in their profile. Because of winter, our tasks were mostly indoors and consisted of housekeeping and vegan cooking/baking. As non-vegan people, it was interesting to try out vegan… read more
They were thoroughly capable and completed tasks that had been haunting us for a long time. David's expertise in his previous profession was put to great use as he helped us list and sell some… read more
As soon as I arrived, I felt the warmth of home, Julie welcomed me & showed me the room & around the house. The room I was given to… read more
The communication with them from the beginning was clear, before arrive to their house we already know what they were expecting from us, about our daily tasks, and how is life in the island during winter time, because life is totally different depending of the season.
They are an extraordinary couple, easy going, kind,… read more
I was given free reign of the kitchen cupboards and was trusted me to cook all sorts of experimental vegan meals (despite me not being vegan!) I also helped with… read more
