Parks police issue 31 tickets at gorge
50 verbal warnings for people disobeying posted signage in Niagara Glen
Niagara Parks Police issued 31 tickets and about 50 verbal warnings Saturday to people disobeying posted signage in the Niagara Glen.
Chief Paul Forcier said people did not stay on marked trails despite visible signs and Niagara Parks ambassadors posted at the top of the glen stairs to educate visitors.
He said officers also issued about 75 parking tickets Saturday throughout the Niagara Parks Commission property, including the north boulevard along Niagara Glen, a lot near the Whirlpool trail head entrance, and Queen Victoria Park.
“With COVID, things just beginning to open up, we found that the nature areas were being overwhelmed,” said Forcier.
“St. Catharines had closed the entry points to Decew Falls and all that area, so we started to see a surge that we were preparing for down in the glen. We sent a number of officers down just to make sure that people were engaged in safe practices while they were hiking. Unfortunately, there were quite a few that still continued to disobey the signs and put themselves at risk.”
With crowds of people flocking to Morningstar Mill during the pandemic and hikers continually having to be rescued, the City of St. Catharines shut down the site.
The city announced Friday the attraction on Decew Road, which provides access to Decew Falls and the Bruce Trail system, will be closed indefinitely.
Forcier said there are no plans to restrict access to the glen.
Forcier said Niagara Parks Police continue to advise people to stay on marked trails, to not hike alone and to tell somebody where they’re going. They should bring energy bars and water and know their physical limits.
He encouraged visitors to bring a cellphone, although they shouldn’t count on good coverage in that area.
“If they go off the marked trails, they certainly put their personal safety at risk, and then they put at risk the safety of emergency crews that have to respond and attempt to rescue them.”