Will Windsor relocate Sandpoint Beach or shut it down permanently?
Four people have drowned since council first considered relocating the beach in 2012
Windsor could be without a beach to swim in this summer after city council unanimously approved shutting down Sandpoint Beach and Stop 26 until a corner's report into the latest drowning is complete.
The corner's office says that could take months to finish.
But some on council wonder if the city should ever allow people to swim in the area again now that at least 9 people have drowned in the area since beach opened in 1980.
"There is no way that I think we can offer to the public a safe swimming environment," said Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac during a city council meeting this week.
Gignac made the comments before council unanimously agreed to indefinitely close the beach while staff revisit the master plan to redevelop the beach.
The most recent drownings have occurred before the beach officially opened for the season and without lifeguards at the beach.
Safety officials blame a sudden underwater drop off and strong whirlpool like currents immediately west of Sandpoint Beach for the drownings in the area.
Gignac said the initial plan to relocate the beach further east was done in good faith but said "it's not going to be presented to the public as a safe place to swim. Ever."
Coun. Kieran McKenzie said ending swimming in the area is something to consider.
"I don't want to signal to the community that I'm prepared to eliminate swimming altogether in that space but it's on the table," said McKenzie.
Coun. Angelo Marginani, who has advocated to have the beach moved even before being elected to council, agreed to close the beach until the coroner's report is finished.
But he wants to see council fund the $15 million master plan to redevelop the area to keep Windsor's only beach open.
"I believe the cost is not what we spend but what we fail to gain," said Marginani.
A spokesperson for the corner's office said that the final report will not be made public because of privacy laws and will not be shared with the city.
However, if the investigation turns up any recommendations, those will be shared with the city.
Council reviewed a safety audit about the beach in 2013. It recommended council consider relocating the beach to a safer area because of the sudden shift in the water currents and depths on the western side of the beach.
Here's how the idea to relocate Sandpoint Beach has moved through council over the years:
- 2012: City council lists the redevelopment of Sandpoint Beach and Stop 26 in the capital budget for after 2017
- 2013: City council receives a safety audit from the Lifesaving Society that recommends the city "consider closing the beach in favour of moving it eastwards" and "at a minimum" fence off the western portion. The city installs a metre tall fence for $10,000.
- 2014: The budget earmarks $5 million for the closure of the western side of Sandpoint Beach and new water access further east. The timeline is sometime after 2019.
- 2018: Council asks how much it will cost for preliminary study to relocate Sandpoint Beach. Staff suggest it will cost $250,000 to study.
- 2019: The capital budget sets aside $250,000 for the study in 2024 and $5 million for the relocation beyond 2026.
- 2021: In May, a 24 year old drowns while swimming at Sandpoint Beach, the sixth person to die while swimming in the area since the beach opened in 1980. At a press conference weeks later, Mayor Drew Dilkens calls the relocation a high priority. Council decides to pay for the study to start in 2021.
- 2022: Public consultations start which shows a relocation design that closes western edge of the beach and lengthens beach access on the eastern edge of the beach. The expected relocation costs doubles to $10 million.
- 2023: The budget earmarks $1 million spread across 2024 and 2025 for the relocation of the beach with an additional $900,000 from 2028 to 2030. A master plan for the redevelopment of Sandpoint Beach is completed in November.
- 2024: In May, two young men drown near Sandpoint Beach, the seventh and eighth people to die in the area while swimming. Council installs taller fences at the western edge of the beach. An updated master plan is presented to council but deferred to early 2025. The city's capital budget shuffles the money around so that there is $1.5 million between 2029 and 2030. Relocating the beach is now expected to cost $15 million.
- 2025: In January, council approves the master plan, which will close of the western portion of the beach and extend the eastern beach. Council directs staff to consider funding as part of future capital budgets with Dilkens saying it will take years to complete. In May, a 15 year old boy drowns while swimming at the beach. City council decides to close the beach until a coroner's report is complete.