Sands of time may shift at city beaches
City mulls extending season in light of heat wave and public pressure
In the face of public pressure and in the midst of one of this summer’s sweatiest heat waves, Coun. Diane Deans has asked city staff to examine how to expand Ottawa’s beach seasons.
The councillor submitted an inquiry to the Community and Protective Services Committee on Thursday, just days after this year’s 58-day beach season officially concluded.
All beaches were open on only 43 of those days — a much shorter period than at nearby beaches managed by either the City of Gatineau or the National Capital Commission.
Ottawa’s beach season runs annually from the third Saturday in June to the third Sunday in August. That means the length of each year’s beach season depends on how the calendar happens to line up. The last couple of seasons, for example, have been 58 days. But in 2016 it will be 65 days.
Technically, the public can always use city beaches at their own risk. Using a beach in the off-season, however, means no lifeguards on watch and no daily water-quality tests to make sure it’s safe to swim in.
In the past week, the city has received “multiple requests” to extend the season, Deans said.
“We had a heat wave this week and it sort of puts in the spotlight how short Ottawa’s summers usually are and how important it is to have beaches open, so we’ve heard from the public this week and I think we just need to look at what the options are,” she said.
“You have to get creative about how you might be able to best meet the public’s demands and at the same time manage it financially.”
According to River ward Coun. Riley Brockington, the parks and recreation department has “sought funding to expand the season a few times” since 2001, but was halted by budget constraints.
If the city extended its beach seasons, it would have to pay for daily water-quality tests and keeping lifeguards and other staff on the payroll longer, among other costs.
Some of the options mentioned at Thursday’s meetings include only opening the beaches on weekends during early June and late summer, shifting the season’s dates to better align with the school year and typical vacation time, or considering sponsorship opportunities.
The inquiry asks staff to provide the committee with options before 2016’s budget discussions.