Latest news with #WindsorPortAuthority
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
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.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- CTV News
Windsor Port Authority to examine ways to block off access to western edge of Sandpoint Beach
The chief executive officer of the Windsor Port Authority says 'the port will take every action' to make sure access to a dangerous part of Sandpoint Beach is not available. Steve Salmons said he is in conversation with the city regarding the decision to close Sandpoint Beach and what's going to happen moving forward. The Windsor Port Authority owns the land that connects to the western edge of the beach, the place where there's a steep drop-off and strong currents in the water where the Detroit River meets Lake St. Clair. The council voted June 9 to close the beach to swimmers effective immediately, eliminating public access to the water while the council awaits the results of a coroner's investigation into the death of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in the water off the beach on May 19, 2025. The City of Windsor has been using the land through a licensing agreement with the port, assuming all operations and liability, but council is ending the agreement, which will terminate Jan. 1, and the port authority will resume responsibility after that happens. Salmons said he is speaking with the mayor about the end of the licensing agreement. 'We want to be sure that whatever future plans they have sync with our future plans for that corner of the property. We also want to make sure whatever we're doing works with their plan,' he said. Salmons said when the city comes to a decision on what they're going to do with the park, they will see if the port can have a supportive role. 'The most immediate concern for the port is Jan. 1, when we resume occupation of this property. We will now, over the next six months, begin to think of how we make that access to the dangerous drop-off and the undercurrents at the west end of the beach as unattractive and unappealing as possible,' he said. Salmons said they're not in the beach business and don't want to be in the beach business. 'We're in the commercial waterfront business as a custodian of our waterways and also of the safety of our waterways, on the waterways and the shoreline,' he said. 'You can be confident that the port will take every action so that access to that dangerous drop-off will not be available.' The city will spend the next few weeks closing off water access and scheduling staff to be at the beach to inform visitors of the closure. Additional signage will be installed to remind visitors that the water is dangerous, and fencing will be installed to close off the remainder of the waterfront access. All measures to close off the water access at Sandpoint are anticipated to be in place by June 24, and water access will remain closed indefinitely. The sand area around the playground and the parkland will remain open and accessible for families to enjoy. In May 2024, two men, aged 25 and 22, also drowned in the same area off Sandpoint. Council also directed city administration to review the Sandpoint Beach Master Plan, which calls for the relocation of the beach to the eastern end to avoid the drop-off and strong currents, to determine whether the planned work to relocate the beach, modify the existing shoreline, and upgrade amenities will be able to effectively eliminate the risks posed to swimmers. - Written by Rusty Thomson/AM800 News.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Local student wins scholarship to preserve Windsor's Mackenzie Hall
Sandy MacDonald (left) and David Piper-Clark seen in Windsor, Ont. on June 11, 2025. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor) Windsor is coming together to preserve Mackenzie Hall in Sandwich Town. David Piper-Clark, a St. Clair College horticultural student, has been named the landscape steward for the building, which was built in 1855 by Alexander Mackenzie. Piper-Clark was given a $5,000 scholarship by the Windsor Port Authority and The Friends of the Court for Mackenzie Hall. In his role, he will work with city staff to take care of the landscaping. 'Our storied Mackenzie Hall in historic Sandwich Town is one of our community's true gems,' said Mayor Drew Dilkens. 'It has been wonderful to see this initiative build on solid partnerships between the city and various community partners; and to watch the spin-off impacts of this work in the neighbourhood.' Dilkens continued, adding the landscaping will help improve the space, which is key in Windsor's history. The horticulture scholarship started in 2016 as a need for more attention to the property was needed. 'Mackenzie Hall's unique historical and locational positioning makes for a great opportunity for a student to practice and hone their landscape maintenance skills,' said Sandy MacDonald, professor of horticulture at St. Clair College. 'We always seek a student who is diligent and keen, with a great work ethic. Our consideration is also toward someone who can work independently and troubleshoot small issues as they occur; someone whose friendly personality means that he can communicate well with the public and individuals involved with this project.' MacDonald said Piper-Clark exhibits all these characteristics and is positively considered within the department.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- CTV News
City shuts down Sandpoint Beach, pending review
Sandpoint Beach seen in Windsor, Ont. on May 20, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor) Sandpoint Beach is closing — at least for now. Windsor city council voted Monday to temporarily shut down access to the city's east-end beach following the recent drowning of a 15-year-old boy. Instead of moving ahead with a motion to fast-track safety upgrades, council approved a different approach: close the beach immediately, await the results of the coroner's investigation and have administration report back on whether the beach's long-term redevelopment plan can be expedited. 'It wasn't a motion that I put on the table without a lot of thought,' said Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac, who introduced the alternate motion. 'We've had nine drownings in the area since 1980. And I think it's time for a good sober pause to consider a number of things.' Gignac questioned whether relocating the swimming area at Sandpoint Beach, as the redevelopment plan suggests, is enough. 'I'm not convinced that there is a safe way to do it in that area,' she said. 'How many people do we have to watch go into the water and not come out?' She pointed to comments from the Windsor Port Authority warning that the Detroit River is not safe for swimming — and suggested future redevelopment at Sandpoint could focus on amenities that don't involve getting into the water. 'I think we can do a very, very nice project there that doesn't involve actually getting into the water,' she said. Ward 7 councillor Angelo Marignani, who represents the area and brought forward the original motion to prioritize funding for safety upgrades, said he supports council's direction and remains committed to seeing improvements made. 'I'll be doing my best to ensure that Sandpoint Beach is a wonderful place for everyone to enjoy,' he said. 'But first and foremost, it has to be safe.'
CTV News
30-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Suspicious activity on the waterways? Here's what to do:
If you've noticed suspicious activity on the local waterways, the Windsor Port Authority and Crime Stoppers want to hear from you. They are partnering to get more tips on the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie to help keep the waterways secure. 'We want to make port security public security in the forefront and we're asking people to step forward and say, 'I see something, it just doesn't seem right,'' said harbour master Peter Berry. He said it will help get more of the evidence back to the police. Crime Stoppers and Port Authority Crime Stoppers and Windsor Port Authority on the Detroit River in Windsor, Ont. (Melanie Kentner/CTV News Windsor) There are specific activities regarding boats to be on the lookout for. 'The most common is looking for a boat to shore and doesn't look like it's a normal boater. Or they're coming into a place that very unusual, like the centre of the park in downtown Windsor or other areas, abandoned properties, vacant properties.' Other suspicious actions include were boat lands and several people get off, and you start to see a lot of hockey bags being thrown off a boat. 'Really good chance that's smuggling occurring in front of you,' he said. The port authority and Crime Stoppers are releasing photos of suspicious boats seen in the area. Suspicious boat A suspicious boat on the Detroit River (Source: Windsor Port Authority) 'They've been brought over and used for smuggling and then abandoned. One of the boats was used to move people. The other boat was used, we believe, to bring guns over into the Windsor area. And both those boats were found in the downtown and west Windsor,' said Berry. Berry said it's not unusual to see boats here, but it's very unusual to see a boat with nobody near it, especially if it's dropped on the shoreline. He said smuggling is also an issue on the river - human smuggling, drug smuggling and gun smuggling. 'Of course the human smuggling side, you'll see a jet ski you go by. It's got a three person seat and the people in the back are fully clothed in jeans and jackets. Very unusual to be on a sea-doo with people dressed like that.' Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or
