Kincardine council opts to keep piers at the harbour open year-round
By: Liz Dadson
November 27, 2024
Kincardine council has voted down a proposal to close the piers at Kincardine Harbour throughout the winter.
At the meeting Wednesday night (Nov. 27), community services director Jayne Jagelewski put forward a report that recommended the north and south piers be closed annually, from Nov. 1 to April 1. This would reduce staff risk which is inherent when working on the piers during the winter months, she said.
Back in March, council approved $92,000 to complete recommendations from the ad hoc pier safety committee.
So far, the following have been completed: 10 new ladders installed along the piers, additional life-saving stations and signage, painting the perimeter of the piers yellow, large blue chairs removed from no-swimming zone, gates purchased and to be installed later this year to stop the public from parking in the assigned emergency parking locations, and development of the Beach Blazer program.
To date, staff has spent about $66,533 of the $92,000 budget, said Jagelewski.
She noted that although the pier safety report recommended that both piers remain open year-round with appropriate signage and education, staff has identified health and safety concerns about being able to access the life-saving equipment for inspection and repair/replacement if it is damaged/stolen during the winter months. The municipal joint health and safety committee has confirmed that working on the piers during the winter months, places staff in a hazardous situation and should not be attempted.
Jagelewski said that one reason the pier safety committee wanted to keep the piers open, was for recreational usage by the surfing community. She noted that it is not staff’s intent to prevent surfing, but during the winter months, access would be from the waterfront.
Also, she noted that staff cannot guarantee all safety equipment can be maintained and available, if needed, due to reduced access to the piers during inclement weather.
During discussion, councillor Bill Stewart put forward a friendly amendment to the motion, to have the piers closed from Dec. 1 to April 1, since Nov. 1 is pretty early. That was added to the motion.
Councillor Rory Cavanagh spoke against the motion, stating that the emergency services call-outs to the piers are usually from the end of May to the end of September, not during the winter months.
“I don’t support closing the piers,” he said. “People will circumvent any barricades we put up anyway.”
Deputy mayor Andrea Clarke asked if there is a hazard in keeping the piers open year-round.
Jagelewski said staff can’t meet the standard of safety by just leaving the equipment out at the piers.
“We’ve done a lot of research and there are some legal concerns,” she said. “There are a lot of moving parts here. Regretfully, we’ve realized that some of the recommendations from the pier safety committee are not as achievable as we thought.”
Councillor Stellina Williams asked if the municipality could keep the piers open, with appropriate signage added.
Jagelewski said that option was considered. “We would leave the equipment out but it would not be inspected or maintained.”
Councillor Amanda Steinhoff-Gray said there are roads in the municipality that are not maintained during the winter, with clear signage that such is the case. The piers could be treated the same way.
“This is a dangerous situation for the firefighters and paramedics if they are called to the scene at the piers,” said Stewart. “They’re not trained in ice rescue.”
He recommended council try closing the piers for the winter and see what happens. “People will sneak around the barricades anyway.”
Mayor Kenneth Craig said his concern with this motion is that closing the piers would mitigate the safety risk for the staff and the public. However, there’s an inherent danger if someone were to slip into the water and be unable to get out because the equipment was taken away for the winter months.
Jagelewski said if the piers remain open during the winter, there would be signage indicating that the public uses the piers at their own risk. The safety equipment would be left out, with signage indicating it is not inspected or maintained during the winter.
Clarke said that when the piers were closed in the past, people still walked around them and onto the piers. “Will the closure mitigate what we’re trying to mitigate, or make it worse?”
Jagelewski said a more robust gate system, such as the one used in Port Stanley, would be more effective to stop the public from walking on the piers. If council decides to close the piers every winter, then staff would have to look at a better gate system.
Steinhoff-Gray said she supported leaving the piers open year-round, with proper signage in the winter.
Craig clarified that if the proposed motion to close the piers from Dec. 1 to April 1, were defeated, then the safety equipment would remain on the piers and appropriate signage would be installed. No staff would be out maintaining the equipment during the winter.
In a recorded, vote, the motion was defeated, 7-2. Voting in favour of closing the piers for the winter, were Stewart and Clarke, while voting against, were Cavanagh, Williams, Steinhoff-Gray, Craig, and councillors Beth Blackwell, Mike Hinchberger and Jennifer Prenger.
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