Township ramps up bylaw enforcement, closing of beaches not off the table
With most of Ontario moving into Stage 3 of the province’s phased reopening plan, Wainfleet, along with other municipalities in the Golden Horseshoe, will remain at Stage 2 for the time being.
Despite the reduced level of openness, the Township continues to expect considerable traffic coming into the municipality to access beaches and popular water locations such as the NPCA quarry site. This influx, which has been taking place all summer, has resulted in many residents in the area being negatively affected, according to a Township statement released Friday, July 17.
“Council has been taking increased action to ensure people are behaving responsibly, safety and respectfully to our property and that of our residents, including increasing our fines and towing vehicles,” said Mayor Kevin Gibson.
“However, while the parking situation has improved, there are so many other issues taking place, most of which center on the use of alcohol on our properties and roadways. The time for warnings is over.”
In response to these issues, Wainfleet council has once again ramped-up its continuing efforts to curb inappropriate and illegal behaviour on municipal beaches and roadways.
Starting this weekend, paid-duty police officers will be on patrol looking for various offences and ensuring compliance with provincial and municipal laws and charging those not in compliance.
“As usual, it’s a few bad actors that are ruining things for everyone,” said the Mayor. “This way, people coming to the Township will hopefully get the message that we won’t tolerate illegal and inappropriate behaviour here in Wainfleet. We certainly don’t want to close our beaches, but if these kinds of solutions don’t work, council will have to consider all our options going forward.”
