Survey says: Wellanders prefer canal to Go Quiet
Swimming and more access points along the Welland Recreational Canal were two of the hot-topic issues raised during an extensive public consultation process for Welland’s Go Quiet bylaw.
Richard Dalton, the city’s acting manager of recreation and culture, made a presentation to city council Tuesday night on the consultation process and some of its results.
But a report, which was to be received for information, was deferred until the next council meeting due to it not being delivered to councillors in time for some to read it.
The Go Quiet bylaw has been in effect for 12 years and it prohibits the use of motorized watercraft on the recreational waterway except in situations where use is approved for safety purposes. Some residents asked the prohibition on motorized watercraft be lifted to allow for more uses of the former Welland Canal, and council decided to review the bylaw.
Ward 1 Coun. Mark Carl asked about swimming in the waterway.
“Is it highlighted?” Carl asked. “I’ve always felt that it’s a key component of the waterway.”
Dalton said swimming was a hot topic, and it revolved around whether there could be designated areas where people could swim and whether a beach could be built along the waterway.
“How do you go about establishing that location?” said Dalton, adding a lot of work needs to be done on the topic.
Ward 4 Coun. Pat Chiocchio said the waterway really is a jewel in the heart of the community and asked, other than motorboats being allowed back on, what stood out among various surveys, emails and comments at public sessions.
“There were a lot of really constructive ideas, some may be buried way down in the information. More access points to the waterway was one,” Dalton said.
He told council that residents are very passionate about the canal. He wanted to gather as much information as he could and hear all ideas.
“I wanted it so all members of the public could be heard, I wasn’t just looking for organized groups stating what they feel should happen or a specific group or segment of people. My personal goal was to make the input a worthwhile resource for council.”
Council heard there were 370 pages of input received; six hours of public meetings, which were taped and posted to Facebook; eight weeks of survey input; an eight-week window for written submissions; and 1,200 participants in the process.
“I’m very pleased with how the public engagement turned out,” said Dalton, adding all of the information will soon be posted to the city’s website for people to view and download.
Ward 2 Coun. David McLeod said the amount of information gathered created an overwhelming set of data to work with. He wondered if there are any weaknesses in that data or things that were missed that he expected to see.
Dalton said there were no glaring omissions that were obvious at first glance to him. He said there was a wide gamut of suggestions, some a little out of left field.
During his presentation, Dalton was asked about one of the survey questions. The question was: Welland’s current bylaw states that only nonmotorized traffic is permitted on the Welland recreational waterway, unless an exception is approved by the Well and Recreational Canal Corp. Do you feel that expanded uses of the Welland recreational waterway, beyond the current bylaw should be allowed?
Of the 1,038 people who answered, 67.05 per cent answered no.
Carl asked if that percentage was consistent across the board.
“Are the majority in favour of the Go Quiet bylaw?” he asked. Dalton said yes. “I believe that is what’s reflected,” he said.
His report will come before council on July 25.