By Doug Draper
If it is the last ribbon cutting ceremony Peter Partington officiates in his political career, it was a good one – one for which he can feel proud and may be thanked for generations to come.
Wainfleet, Ontario Mayor Barbara Henderson joins Niagara Regional Chairman Peter Partington on property the regional government purchased along Lake Erie to provide the public with more access to our shorelines. Photo by Doug Draper
This Friday, November 12 – on an unusually warm and sunny morning for this time of year, and with the waters of Lake Erie glowing robin-egg blue behind him – the outgoing chairman of Niagara, Ontario’s regional government joined Wainfleet Mayor Barbara Henderson and other area delegates in a ceremonial opening of the first stretch of beachfront the regional government has purchased since recently launching its ‘Waterfront Enhancement Strategy’.
That strategy calls for “maximizing” public access to Niagara’s waterfronts, increasing public ownership of waterfront lands, and preserving and protecting the lands for future generations.
“Isn’t this a wonderful place,” said a beaming Partington to this reporter as he looked down from the dunes where the ribbon cutting took place to a beach stretching along the Lake Erie between Morgan’s Point and Long Beach in the Burnaby area of Wainfleet.
“I am very pleased that this will be the first of what I hope will be many beachfronts we can access (under) this strategy,” said Partington, who will be retiring from politics when a new chairman is chosen by the region’s recently elected council in early December. “Certainly, my goal is to make as much of our waterfronts as possible (across the region) fully accessible, so that everyone can enjoy them.”
The 400 feet of waterfront property opened this November 12 was purchased by the regional government from a private owner for about $1.4 million (the market rate) and might otherwise have been bought by other private concerns to build homes. The property leads down to beach that will be open to visitors for kilometers around.
Brian Baty, Pelham regional councillor and co-chair for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, on the Lake Erie beach by land the regional government purchased to provide more public access to our waterfronts. Photo by Doug Draper
Among those joining Partington at the ribbon cutting where Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey, Thorold Mayor Henry D’Angela and Mayor Barbara Henderson of Wainfleet. Henderson and her council worked closely with the regional government over the past year to secure the purchase of the property.
Also at the ceremony was Pelham regional council Brian Baty who is a co-chair on the board for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. The NPCA, said Baty, will be playing a lead role in making improvements to the property and maintaining it for the public.
Baty took time at the end of the ceremony to praise the outgoing regional chairman.
“I think we have to recognize that Peter is modest,’ he said. “This is his initiative and it is Peter’s legacy, and I hope it is a model (for preserving more Niagara waterfont) that says ‘yes we can.’”
This ribbon cutting ceremony follows in the wake of recently completed Ontario Municipal Board hearings over plans by a developer to build a high-rise condo in front of Bay Beach, a popular waterfront place during the warmer months in the Crystal Beach community of Fort Erie, and ongoing interest and concern over what to do with Canada Parks lands along the Lake Ontario shore in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
It also follows in the wake of attempts by Niagara Falls Liberal MPP Kim Craitor over the past few years to get a private members’ bill passed in the Ontario legislature that would grant the public more access to our lakeshores.
Please share your views below on how you feel about this subject and remember that we only post comments by people who share their real names.
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary of interest and concern to residents in our greater binational Niagara region.)
Niagara At Large 
Too bad Partington’s message was lost on Fort Erie’s mayor-by-five-votes Doug Martin. Even though the message sent this election was very clear that a lot of people aren’t happy with the Bay Beach Project, the town is hell-bent on allowing the development of high rises on the Lake Erie shore. The Molinaro Project is but the first of many unless the OMB rules against the town and the Molinaros. Then the resulting lawsuits could bankrupt the town. All because the town planner and the mayor decided to dispose of a public waterfront parkland. The town actually sent out invitation to developers offering the land for development. Two of the councillors who supported the Molinaro Plan, including the councillor who represented Crystal Beach were roundly defeated in the election. Doug Martin lost big in the Crystal Beach Ward 5. His five vote margin is an embarrassment for an incumbent and a repudiation of his policies. He returns to office knowing that half his voters (save five) do not support him. He is a lame duck, but he doesn’t realize it yet.
LikeLike
I think this is a wonderful feel good exercise; however since uploading the costs of social services to the province this group of politicians has not put aside 10 cents for the infrastucture that it agreed to assume responsibility for. Next year the Burgoyne bridge is due to be replaced cost:75 million dollars, new police headquarters with cost overruns 250 million dollars… you get the idea……. this government is on track to create 1 billion dollars worth of new debt for our children an grand children to inherit! First order of business for new council: appoint an auditor general to report back to council members so councillors will have a way to judge if fair value is being received by taxpayers ‘ dollars. Most governments have this kind of control in place why doesn’t ours?
LikeLike
Doug Draper is right to praise this positive achievement. It could be added that Partington leaves with two fine accomplishments-the other being the long overdue start of regional transit.
LikeLike
Congratulations to the Region for the foresight to present and execute a plan to preserve our wonderful lakefront. I hope the re-aquisition of our beaches will continue and the program expands.
How soon before a condo developer convinces the Region that they can improve this Beach???
LikeLike
Our beach protests of the early seventies were to restore our beaches to us – not to pay money to buy what is ours already! Under British common law all lakefront to the high water mark is public domain…
LikeLike
Hopefully the Region will settle on a plan for the Niagara-on-the-Lake sewage lagoons, and can then move on to partner with Parks Canada to open up the DND lands – a move that is long overdue.
LikeLike