The mayor of Lambton Shores wants Grand Bend Beach to stay open but warns it will be shut down again if pandemic rules aren't followed.
Bill Weber made the comment during an interview on CHOK (103.9 FM, 1070 AM) heading into the first summer weekend the popular beach will be open.
He told Sue Storr they hope to avoid the overcrowding that occurred at Sauble Beach and prompted the Town of South Bruce Peninsula to close its beaches again.
"They had it open on the weekend -- it was a nice, warm weekend -- and they were overrun with people because there wasn't that many places to go, there were other beaches that were closed. So they had a large crowd there and they've had a lot of push-back from local residents who were concerned, as they should be," said Weber. "You can come to our beach as long you follow the physical distance guidelines. We hope that we don't get overcrowded, we don't want to have to go backwards. People have to follow the rules and we'd be glad to welcome you there."
The Grand Bend sign on Main St. W. August 9, 2018.
Weber said high water levels on the beach is making social distancing more difficult.
He said there's more water than beach in Grand Bend.
"The high water level has affected all the beaches, including the Pinery Park beach. All of the beaches are less sand area, so it's kind of a double-whammy -- we want you to spread out but there isn't as much room to spread out."
Weber is reminding beachgoers that sports are currently prohibited on the beach, and that tents are not allowed but umbrellas are -- he also said bylaw officers will be patrolling the area and ready to hand out tickets, if need be.
"We don't want to say 'don't come here,' but if you aren't going to follow the rules, I'm going to say 'don't come here,'" the mayor said.
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