OakvilleNews.Org
Overcrowded lakefront parks include Coronation Park
The town is looking at ways to discourage residents from flocking to overcrowded lakefront parks amid a historically hot summer.
Increased parking fines could be the next strategy, as councillors expressed concerns about overcrowding during a meeting on August 4.
“Again, I drove by (Coronation Park) Saturday, Sunday and it seems to be out-of-control with the amount of people in the park,” said Ward 2 councillor Ray Chisholm.
He blamed overcrowding on Oakville growth.
“With the expansion and the development of north Oakville – there’s no waterfront up in north Oakville – a lot of people are migrating down to the parks,” he said, predicting the issue would “grow exponentially as years go on.”
Elimination of parking
Several measures are being used to combat crowds, including roaming bylaw enforcement officers, police patrols and park ambassadors, Oakville CAO Jane Clohecy told councillors.
We have eliminated parking in many areas so there is less attraction and less ability for people to get down into the lakefront ... Jane Clohecy, Town of Oakville CAO
The town is also making it harder for people to drive to the parks.
“We have eliminated parking in many areas so there is less attraction and less ability for people to get down into the lakefront, at least in those kinds of magnitudes,” said Clohecy.
Following the lead of St. Catharines, which brought in a $100 parking fine for unwanted lakefront visitors, could be the town’s next strategy, she said.
Mayor floats idea of renewing physical distancing bylaw
Mayor Rob Burton raised the issue of reviving the town’s physical distancing bylaw, which imposed $300 fines on people who didn’t maintain a minimum two-metre distance from others.
“Perhaps we’ll keep an eye on that and see if we need to bring that back,” he warned.
However, he didn’t seek staff advice on whether such a bylaw would be possible given that people can now socialize within groups of 10 without maintaining distance.
Ward 1 councillor Beth Robertson, who said she regularly rides her bike through Bronte-area waterfront parks to assess the situation, suggested eliminating or reducing covered shelter use.
“What I’m seeing is the shelters at Coronation being the biggest violators of social distancing,” she said.
Clohecy noted that overcrowded lakefront parks have been a problem for many municipalities, given the weather and limited activities available to residents.
“It is a very hot summer and you have a lot of young people who don’t have jobs and have been off school for some time, so that’s the pressure on the other side.”
Emergency powers in place for "some time into the future," says Clohecy
The town’s emergency powers allow it to quickly put new bylaws in place to address issues such as overcrowding at waterfront parks, she added.
In response to a question from Ward 6 councillor Tom Adams, Clohecy said staff have had no discussions about lifting the state of emergency declaration made on March 24.
“We would feel as staff that there isn’t any reason to remove it any time soon,” she said.
Ontario’s declared state of emergency ended July 24, although the province has legislated some emergency orders to remain in place.
No data
After the meeting, Oakville News questioned whether the town has undertaken any counts or collected any data to confirm the perception of overcrowding or compare use to previous seasons.
Jill MacInnes, senior communications advisor, responded by email.
“We don’t have numbers or historical data on typical park use, but our director of Parks and Open Space confirms we are noticing a large increase in the number of people at our waterfront parks compared to past years,” she said.
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Town of Oakville
Jane Clohecy, Town of Oakville CAO
Jane Clohecy, CAO
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