The Girl Guides say they can no longer afford to run about half the Ontario camps where their members have traditionally built campfires, learned to be leaders and enjoyed the great outdoors.

The Ontario Council of the century-old girls' mentorship organization is recommending that 16 of its 33 camps across the province be sold or the leases surrendered.

'Cutting off camps is one of the worst things that can drive away interest in Girl Guides.'— Beth Hubbert, former girl guide

"This was a heart-wrenching decision, it was very emotional and very challenging," said Marnie Cumming, the group's Ontario provincial commissioner, Wednesday. "That being said, we feel that this is an essential decision to maintain the viability of the organization."

The group ran a deficit of over $1.3 million in 2008 just for operating camp properties. Most of the camps have been struggling financially for many years, said Cumming, who has been a member of the organization for 50 years. Meanwhile, membership in the organization has fallen across the country.

By closing some camps, the group will be able to expand its programs at the remaining camps, Cumming suggested. Even with the closures, she estimated there will be camps accessible within a two-hour drive in a majority of the province.

That isn't the case in northern Ontario. However, Cumming said the group plans to boost a subsidy to help provide girls in that region with camping experiences at facilities that aren't owned by the Girl Guides.

Beth Hubbert swam in the lake and camped at Camp Caritou near North Bay, Ont., throughout her 12 years as a Girl Guide.

"I love that place," said Hubbert. She grew up on a farm in northern Ontario, where there were few other opportunities for girls to socialize and be with girls their age.

Hubbert said she felt camping was one of the most important aspects of being a Girl Guide and provided her with a valuable opportunity to practise leading other girls.

She worried closing the camps could threaten the organization itself.

"Cutting off camps is one of the worst things that can drive away interest in Girl Guides," she said. "If there's no camp opportunities, no one is going to want to be in the units anymore."

Current and former Girl Guides weren't the only ones saddened by the closure of camps that have been a fixture in many small towns across the country for decades.

Wayne McLellan, who lives in Arkona, a small town in southwestern Ontario, is unhappy about the loss of nearby Camp Dahinda.

"I am disappointed for the community," he said. "It was a draw, it brought people in, whether to the snack bar or to the motel, the hardware store if they needed something."

The recommendation of the Ontario Council will go to the Girl Guides' national board of directors for approval.