We recognize there has been some confusion regarding the status of beaches in Fort Erie. To be clear, all Fort Erie beaches are closed for use. This includes:
- *Bay Beach (also known as Crystal Beach)
- *Crystal Beach Waterfront Park
- Maple Leaf Beach
- Bernard Beach
- Crescent Beach
- *Waverly Beach
- *Bowen Road Waterfront
- Riverwalk and Freedom
* Beach portion of the park is closed. Greenspace is open for active and passive use, but playground areas and equipment are closed.
Additional signage and barriers will be placed at various locations where applicable. Those found disobeying Town regulations may be subject to fines up to $1,000. A staff report outlining recommended operation changes for Bay Beach will be included in the June 8, 2020, Committee-in-Council agenda.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through this unprecedented time.
To read more about the Town’s COVID-19 response, please visit www.forterie.ca/pages/Covid19News. Residents can visit the page for updates and should watch the Town’s social media channels or subscribe for Fort Erie COVID-19 alerts and updates.
GREAT planning – thank you. We don’t want 5000 people jammed into Bay Beach and the Covid cases escalating two weeks later. We are NOT the USA.
We are not the U.S.A.
There are 0.3 Active Cases per 10,000 people in for Erie. There are 83 active cases in the entire Niagara region (population of 447, 000).
The beach closures are irrational and inconsistent with the evidence as well as with other policies (parks are open, as long as distance is maintained). The Friendship Trail is open, and it is more difficult to pass people on the trail while maintaining distance than it would be to maintain distance on the beach.
Please enforce these closures.
What happened to the Bay Beach liveCam?
Hi Mary – You can view the Bay Beach live camera here – https://www.forterie.ca/pages/BayBeachAdmissionParkingRules
Is there a date for opening up the beach? Does it align to the date the province left the emergency order?
No. We don’t have an official opening date. Thanks for your question.
There seems to be a real inconsistency to these policies – Parks are open for all of the following activities, as long as 2m distance is maintained, as per your website:
• Bringing a chair or blanket to relax in parks
• Kicking a ball, playing catch, flying a kite and other such activities with members
of their own households
• Individual activities such as yoga or exercising, provided they are not in a group
or class
But beaches are simply closed. It is not clear to me how beaches differ in any meaningful sense – they’re a wide open space on which one might bring a blanket, play frisbee, or do yoga, while maintaining distance.