City moves forward with no access to water at Sandpoint Beach
Fence posts were hammered into the ground Tuesday morning.
'I never thought, and those big posts,' said a startled Pam Morley Cooke as she spent time at Sandpoint Beach with her grandson. 'The post they're putting in, scaring him (grandson) so we have to leave.'
Morley Cooke was at the beach when workers started installing fence posts. 'It's really sad to see that going, but they have to do something to keep people safe right now. But there's other solutions to this, and they didn't look at that,' said Morley Cooke, who feels the city could have acted years ago.
City Councillor Angelo Marignani dropped in to see what was going on. 'What we're really missing here is the quality of life that we kind of gave up to our residents,' Marignani said. 'What we're missing here is the investment, the development, the tourism.'
A 15-year-old drowned in May. Two men in their 20's fell victim in the same area in 2024.
The issue is the dangerous current. The Windsor Port Authority estimates the current flow pushes downward at 10-15 km per hour.
Just up the shore at Stop 26, the Port Authority estimates the current is half the speed with no under tow for at least a couple of hundred metres straight in from that beach area.
That is why Marignani feels the beach should be moved. 'We know this information. We can engineer it so that it is safe. We could do our best as a city, and we can make this area, this park, a gem that it should be carrying.'
City officials say Stop 26 will remain open for kayaks and canoes, but there will be signs discouraging swimming in the river.
'There's nothing to stop a swimmer once they enter that area of traveling west and finding ourselves in the same situation that previous swimmers have, where there's been a tragedy,' said Michael Chantler, commissioner of community services.
Installation of the fencing is expected to be completed on Wednesday. Lifeguards will remain on site until the end of the week. 'They're going to continue that process of educating the public as they arrive to the beach and let them know that they can enjoy the sand, enjoy the park,' Chantler told CTV News.
He's hopeful residents don't decide to hop the fence. 'They're taking their lives into their own hands if they do that, and all we can do is educate them that they should make the choice not to enter the water.'
Marignani hopes the fencing is a quick temporary solution, but the embattled beach is at the mercy of a coroner's inquest into the latest drowning. The timing of a report is unknown.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
2 years behind schedule, the Pattullo Bridge replacement nears completion
Social Sharing An 80-metre gap is all that separates the main bridge deck from the north ramp of B.C.'s Pattullo Bridge replacement. High above the Fraser River, construction crews work to connect the two sides, one rebar at a time. The space may look vast, but engineer Wendy Itagawa says it's a relatively small section of the bridge's 1,200-metre length. "We're getting really close now," said Itagawa, who is the executive director of the Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project. "We're installing the cables and the deck, and we'll be connecting to the north side later this summer." The project broke ground in 2020 and has faced years of delays, but Itagawa says it's on track now for its fall 2025 opening. About 450 people regularly work on the $1.673-billion infrastructure project, which will replace the aging Pattullo Bridge that connects New Westminster and Surrey. Aging Pattullo and delays Built in the 1930s, the Pattullo Bridge serves about 60,000 drivers daily. But over the past two decades, concerns over the bridge's safety and integrity have mounted. In 2016, a report presented to TransLink's board of directors showed the bridge did not meet modern wind and seismic safety standards. The report to Metro Vancouver's transit authority recommended the bridge be replaced by no later than 2024. The province greenlit a new bridge in 2018. Two years later, in 2020, a team of contractors collectively known as the Fraser Crossing Partners was awarded a $967.5-million contract to replace the bridge. Construction began that February. WATCH | 5 years in the making, Pattullo Bridge replacement nears completion: New Pattullo Bridge connecting Surrey, New Westminster nears completion 1 day ago Duration 2:55 After a lengthy construction period, the new Pattullo Bridge, connecting Surrey and New Westminster, is almost finished. This new crossing will replace the existing bridge, located just a few hundred metres away. CBC's Jon Hernandez ascended high onto the bridge deck to observe the ongoing construction. About a year into construction, the opening of the bridge was delayed from 2023 to 2024. At the time, the government attributed delays to on-site investigative work and permitting holdups due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, it was delayed until fall 2025, with officials citing inflationary pressures and global supply issues. The province also said the 167-metre bridge tower, the tallest of it's kind in B.C., took longer to build than expected. New bridge, new name The current Pattullo Bridge has four lanes of traffic. Opposing directions of traffic are divided by plastic stakes and pedestrians and cyclists share a single sidewalk crossing the bridge. Over the years, Surrey and New Westminster have been at odds over how many lanes the replacement should have, with Surrey advocating for a six-lane bridge, but New Westminster wanting to maintain four. The province says the replacement bridge will have four lanes, a decision made following community consultation and based on current road network capacity limits. However, the bridge is wide enough to be expanded into six lanes in the future. There will be dedicated walking and bike paths on both sides of the bridge, along with a centre median. And it won't share its predecessor's namesake. Itagawa says as part of the project's cultural recognition program, the bridge's new name will reflect the Fraser River's significance to local First Nations, including the Musqueam and Kwantlen nations. Indigenous artwork The project will also feature artwork from Kwantlen First Nation artist Phyllis Atkins, whose design featuring sturgeon and eulachon will be engraved on the Highway 17 overpass at Old Yale Road. The design includes replicas of sturgeon scutes, the bone plates the fish have on their backs. Atkins says she was inspired by her time studying the fish along the Fraser River. "It was life changing being right on the river in our unceded traditional territory of Kwantlen. We had sites right up and down the Fraser," said Atkins. "I got to see first-hand the perspective of the river our people used to travel and fish for thousands of years. I really felt that connection."
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Fire forces closure of Gimli landfill
A map showing the location of the Arnes Landfill in the RM of Gimli. (CTV News Winnipeg) A fire in the RM of Gimli closed down a landfill in the community. According to a public notice, crews responded to the fire at Arnes Landfill around 4 a.m. on Thursday. Firefighters were on scene throughout the day working to extinguish the blaze. The landfill was closed to the public on Thursday and may be closed again on Friday. CTV News reached out to the RM of Gimli for an update.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Snapping turtle lays eggs in busy Dartmouth park, prompting conservation efforts
A female snapping turtle has decided to nest in a grassy field at Dartmouth's Shubie Park. A snapping turtle has once again chosen a well-trodden part of Shubie Park in Dartmouth, N.S., to dig her nest – prompting staff and conservation officials to step in and protect the eggs. The turtle was spotted earlier this week digging multiple holes in search of the perfect nesting spot. She eventually laid her eggs and made her way back to a nearby holding pond. 'There was a snapping turtle here on Wednesday,' said Jon Burns, tour guide at the Shubenacadie Canal Commission. 'It dug various different holes, buried the eggs in one, and then made its way over to the pond.' It's not the first time the reptile has chosen the park. Burns said the same turtle nested in the area for the past two years. 'She's kind of become our little mascot,' said Burns. Snapping turtles are considered a species of special concern in Nova Scotia. While not endangered, they are protected, and staff initially attempted to cordon off the nest area before realizing that a permit is required for any such barrier. Officials from a local conservation organization have been contacted and are expected to put a perimeter in place to protect the nest and keep foot traffic at a distance. 'Usually they try to stay away from highly trafficked areas,' said Burns. 'So it's not super common for a turtle to nest here but this one seems to have something it likes.' The turtle laid her eggs in late spring and staff said hatchlings aren't expected until the fall – sometime between 65 and 95 days from the time of nesting. Visitors are encouraged to watch where they step and be mindful of signs of turtle activity, including disturbed soil and filled-in holes. 'There could be more nests in the area,' said Burns. 'They prefer shallow water with soft, muddy bottoms and this park has a lot of that.' The Shubenacadie Canal Commission, which manages the area, said it hopes the site will remain undisturbed until the eggs hatch. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
