'It’s a little sad': Georgina residents can look, but can’t touch Lake Simcoe

Georgina beaches remain closed to the public due to COVID-19, creating have and have-not beach access

Yorkregion.com
July 6, 2020
Amanda Persico

There are two sides to the flip-flop debate: opening local beaches open for resident-use only or keeping beaches closed to everyone -- resident or visitor.

But closing the beaches creates a have and have-not situation -- even among residents who have access to beach parking passes.

“If you have waterfront property, a boat or a watercraft, you can enjoy the lake,” said local resident Jasmine Samadi, who was used to going for a dip in the lake during sizzling days last year.

“The rest of us can’t.”

Meanwhile, residents affiliated with a local beach association can dip their toes in the lake and park their butts in the sand -- only agitating the hot situation.

Not to mention, Sibbald Point Provincial Park is open to the public for day use and camping.

In a matter of weeks, the town played both sides, opening beaches, then closing them just as quickly -- quashing any hopes of wearing an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini beachside.

Georgina’s public beaches -- Willow Beach De La Salle and Holmes Point -- are closed until further notice.

“The closure of beaches and waterfront parks due to COVID-19 is about public safety and not about whether you are a resident or visitor,” said town chief administrative officer Dave Reddon.

Under the "new normal" of the coronavirus pandemic, Samadi can look, but she can’t touch the water.

“Being near the water is part of a lifestyle up here,” she said. “It’s a little sad. I can walk by the water, but I can’t go in. We only have two months of summer.”

Keeping residents safe and maintaining physical distancing is paramount in the decision to keep the beaches closed, said Mayor Margaret Quirk.

“If we can’t control the number of visitors to ensure physical distancing, then we need to keep the beaches closed,” she said. “We need to remember we are still in a pandemic and we all have a part to play in keeping us moving forward.”

Along with physical distancing, opening the town’s beaches also brings added challenges, such as enforcement, safety of staff, traffic management, parking and overcrowding, she added.

If the town decides to reopen beaches and waterfront parks this year, details regarding permitted uses, parking and new measures to control public access have yet to be determined.

Understanding the need for physical distancing, Samadi questioned why beaches cannot be reserved for residents only -- something Brock Township is implementing.

The town could use resident passes coupled with town staff at beach entrances monitoring and counting residents, suggested Samadi.

According to the town, which sought legal opinion in this matter, the municipality does not have the authority to make beaches resident-only under the Municipal Act.

But other lakeside communities are giving it a try.

Innisfil implemented a number of measures to address overcrowding and promote physical distancing including new signage, capacity limits, resident-only parking lots and increased bylaw patrols.

Barrie’s beachfront parking lots are reserved for residents only and the city is considering boosting its waterfront parking rates for non-residents.

While beach parking lots in Barrie and Innisfil are designated as resident parking only, non-residents can still access the beach areas, Quirk clarified in a Facebook post.

On the other side of the lake, Brock Township has implemented a system where residents who apply for a park pass will have access to the Beaverton Harbour Park, including its beach area and splash pad.

In order to enter the beach area, Brock residents are required to show their park pass to Town staff.

This isn’t the first time resident-only beach access has been brought up.

And beach overcrowding -- especially during long weekends and increasingly during regular weekends -- has been an ongoing issue over the last couple of scorching summers.

Previously, council discussed dedicated resident-only parking at several beach locations, including De La Salle Beach, Willow Beach and Holmes Point.

Instead, the town opted for additional parking enforcement.

Overcrowding and parking at Willow Beach, De La Salle, and Holmes Point are part of the town’s ongoing waterfront parks master-plan where Phase 1 was approved earlier this year.