Ontario's Sauble Beach Has Shut Down Because Of The 'Recklessness Of Beachgoers'
One of Ontario's popular beach destinations has officially closed after careless crowds caused safety concerns. The town of South Bruce Peninsula has shut down all of its beaches, including Ontario's Sauble Beach. In a lengthy and heartfelt Facebook post, the town's mayor outlined the circumstances that led to this difficult decision.
On Monday night, the mayor of South Bruce Peninsula, Janice Jackson, took to Facebook to announce the closure of all of the town's beaches.
According to the post, the town had begun the process of reopening beaches only a few weeks ago, with hopes of being fully running by the long weekend.
However, the last two weekends revealed the "recklessness of beachgoers" and prompted the beaches to be shut down.
Jackson highlights that many locals were following the rules and that it was visitors from out of town that "flagrantly defied our restrictions and took over many parts of the beach."
She also noted that the law enforcement team was overwhelmed as they tried to control crowds.
As the area has not been hit hard by COVID-19, Council was concerned that thousands of visitors would cause an outbreak in the community.
Jackson noted that the sooner the township receives appropriate OPP coverage, the sooner the beaches can reopen.
She still expects to see large crowds during the long weekend but hopes to limit numbers with "pointed messaging to the GTA."
"We know this won’t be a popular decision for many, and it was a very tough decision to make but we stand by it," she said in the Facebook post.
"I would prefer to take criticism for being too cautious than to ignore this problem and watch our community pay the price."
Over the weekend, Toronto also saw massive crowds flocking to beaches.
However, these beaches still remain open for the time being.