A total surprise

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s amazing how contentious change can be. This issue of the Strip profiles the varying opinions about plans to improve the beach and its parking lot. Lambton Shores wants everybody on side so it can get on with the project.
Barbara Gare discovered this firsthand earlier this month, after she gave her opinions at the October 27 beach enhancement meeting. Representing herself, but mentioning she worked at the Chamber of Commerce, the (now) former executive director described concerns tourists brought to her attention at the tourism booth. The only note I made about her short speech was, “If you look at any websites for other tourist towns, they all have vital downtowns,” Gare said. “You have to have A before you can get B.”
Watching her give that speech, something didn’t feel right. It was the last straw for the chamber executive. Gare was reprimanded in an email for representing the chamber, which supports the plan. Gare wasn’t aware of that official stance.
She was fired days later.
Barbara Gare says the move came as a total surprise, but the chamber executive told its members last week she should have seen it coming. They’re tight-lipped about what led to her departure (under legal advice). The question is, was this the last straw or the only one?

Former chamber executive’s daughter questions termination

To the editor,

Have you ever seen someone who seems perfectly suited for his or her job? My mom is such a person.
Mom is 61 years old and has worked hard all her life. She is someone who is very dedicated; she enjoys going to work.
She worked as a bank teller for over 13 years, she is an experienced professional who has owned and operated her own business, and until last week my mother was Executive Director of the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce. Anyone who has stopped by the chamber in the last year would know my mother, Barbara Gare. She is a naturally outgoing, friendly people-person who loves to organize. She just loved working for the chamber. She excelled in this post and worked hard to find ways to make improvements.
Mom was one week short of her one-year anniversary when five people walked in to the office, handed her a letter and told her she had 15 minutes to leave the premises. To add insult to injury, the police were called in after she was still gathering her things 20 minutes later.
I believe my mother was treated unfairly and unprofessionally. Chamber membership has increased since her hiring, events were well organized and community feedback was extremely supportive. Her six-month performance review was also positive. In my experience, professional organizations inform employees if they are not performing to expectations, thereby allowing them a chance to improve. My mother was never given an explanation for her dismissal.
We teach children to try to work out their problems and to treat others as they would like to be treated. Unfortunately, as adults we tend to forget these lessons. My mother deserves, at the very least, an apology from the executive of the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce.

Belinda Gare
Rigaud, QC

Editor’s Note: Barbara Gare’s lawyer sent a letter to the chamber last week, and as a result, the chamber executive is not commenting on this matter.

Letter re: Church reflects time and place

Dear Casey,

The October 10th issue was in the post when we got home from being away for a time. One of the items that caught my eye was about the Baileys and their Saturday night ministry. They are responding to the recognition that the teachings of Jesus need to be presented in ways that suit the place and time in which we find ourselves. The world of theatre has long recognized that plays from the past or about the past can be made to resonate in the present. For example, The Shaw Festival’s “Saint Joan,” offered this season, is so powerful that it speaks to the world of today. In the same way, the power inherent in Jesus’ teachings can be made to speak to the world we live in. Lots of “Sunday morning churches” try very hard to do this. The Baileys are trying to do this and I congratulate them and wish them well.

Joe Wooden
Grand Bend

Too old for winter; plus thanks for fundraiser support

Advice from Mom
By Rita Lessard

I don’t know how everyone else feels about winter, but as far as I’m concerned I am not really looking forward to it. I’m not sure when this all came about, but it probably started when I realized that those fancy high-heeled shoes had to be replaced with the more sensible oxfords, the lovely shaping nylons had to be traded in for support stockings, and of course, there’s the cutesy bikini underwear that was taken over by the nice warm bloomers. So you can see where I’m coming from; yes, it’s called getting older, dear.
Getting old is inevitable, and since I’m in pretty good shape, I’m sure I’ll be fine, but as far as winter goes, if we prepare for it, maybe we will manage.
Here are some tips to consider:
- Take care that your car is properly equipped with the necessities in case you get stuck in bad weather. Examples: blankets, flashlights with batteries, candles, matches, booster cables, extra clothing, sand, salt, non-perishable food, etc.
- Get a tune up as soon as you can, and always make sure you’ve got plenty of gas in your tank.
- I suppose a cell phone would also be handy. I don’t have one, but Christmas is coming, so maybe someone will surprise me.
- Perhaps you’ll want to check your shovels or snowblower out also. Either way, keep safe and stay out of the ditch.

Hint: As I was struggling to open my door, which had frozen up, one of my coworkers suggested I put vegetable oil on the rubber on the inside of my door so I’d have no problem opening it. This seals out the water. Try it!

Thanks for all your support!
Sorry that my article is a little brief, but I wanted to concentrate on a more important issue, that being my thank you to my friends, neighbours and area business owners who made Tom’s benefit dance such a success. The support and kindness we received was incredible.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Debra McNair and Corry Price for organizing the event, the Huron Park-Centralia Lions Club for sponsoring it, and Li’l Audrey for providing the great music.
These businesses donated their support: Canadian Tire, Exeter; Iceculture, Hensall; Hansen’s Independent, Exeter; Scotty’s Pizza, Huron Park; Exi-Plast, Huron Park; Gnutti, Huron Park; Fast Photo, London; Country Corners, Exeter; Gar’s Bar, Exeter; Hayter’s Turkey Products, Dashwood; Foodland, Exeter; SAAN, Exeter; Aunt Gussie’s, Grand Bend; Bob’s Advanced Auto, Crediton; Jordy’s, Crediton; Malibu Restaurant, Centralia; Exeter Lions Club.
The following people donated money or prizes: Mike & Val Lessard, Sue and Wayne Foote, Doug and Keli Nethercott, Frank and Bridgitt Dubarry, Herman and Joan Minderlein, Pat Gray, Nancy Zettel, Bob & Millie Lessard, Bill & Anne Lacourtois, Brenda & Dave MacDonald, Deb & Doug Mason, Sid & Jeff Reaburn, Jeff & Jamie Weir, Rosemary Stewart, Tim Glavin, Ken Jones, Gary Sauder, Diane & Yvonne Wells & Lisa, Terry & Corry Price.
Thank you to all the people who helped at the door and with games, lunch and at the bar.
Special thanks to my sister Joan McCullough, who is way too generous with her help and kindness.
Last but not least, to Casey, who provides me with the opportunity to thank everyone in his paper.
Thank you all for your kindness and support. Thank you very much to the people who attended or bought tickets to the event. I apologize if I have missed anyone; to everybody who contributed, your efforts and time were greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Tom and Rita Lessard

Beach enhancement special report: The view from town hall

John Byrne
CAO Lambton Shores
As told to Casey Lessard

This is probably one of the heaviest-used (per capita) beaches in Ontario. We want people that come to this community to see we’re on the leading edge: we’re a progressive community; we’re environmentally sensitive; we’re doing things about reintroducing its natural landscape.
The beach is probably our most important tourism asset. It hasn’t had a lot of attention brought to it in terms of supporting infrastructure: the parking lot, the beach house, and the services that get people there such as the road network.
You don’t want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Tourism is critical. But there is a demographic shift here, and that’s why we’re beginning to see a change in some of the restaurants and businesses that are locating here. The permanent population can support them throughout the year. Nationally our demographic is changing to an older population, so that’s going to affect our status as a youth-oriented tourism destination.
I’m not beating the drum against the youth culture, but there are costs associated with that including additional policing costs that come out of our taxes, increased by-law enforcement, increased maintenance that come with vandalism and garbage.
We need to reinvest in our important asset, the beach. We can accommodate both younger people and families, but how do we make better use of the beach? The beach isn’t being well utilized the way it’s laid out. It’s all public beach from the harbour mouth to Oakwood. There are rights of way that are granted to property owners that abut on the beach. They have the right to cross and use the water. But it’s the community’s beach we’re trying to protect for everybody. It’s not a private beach, as some people would like to have it structured. It’s about reclaiming it for everybody.
It’s becoming increasingly challenging for older people to enjoy the beach. Sand is a difficult thing to maneuver on. The promenade allows people to come down here in the evening and go for a stroll to watch the sunset and enjoy it.
The other component was making this beach accessible to people with disabilities. We’re investing in an elevator to the upper level of the beach house, which has denied access to people with disabilities before.
People have short-term memories. There was a children’s play area down there. The lake can be a very challenging and dangerous place. Not only from the winds and wave actions but also the water quality. We deal with fluctuations in E. coli bacteria for a variety of reasons. Can we introduce an alternative for a family that comes to the area, has booked a hotel for the week, wants to enjoy the beach and finds the beach is posted? What will they do with their kids? A splash pad has the capacity so that when the weather and water conditions are such that it’s not advisable to swim in the lake, that you can at least have some fun down here.
At the last meeting, there was a loud roar of applause when somebody said, “Stay off our beach.” I think people need to reexamine the drawings that clearly demonstrate that we’re respecting that natural sand area. We are respecting the beach. Less than two or three per cent of what’s being proposed impacts the beach with the concrete infrastructure we’re going to add. It’s all on the existing parking area.
We heard loud and clear from Blue Flag that Grand Bend isn’t a natural beach. It’s a man-made beach. The trees and the dunes that were traditionally there have been eradicated. We are going to reclaim that beach and reintroduce in a controlled way the natural environment of the dunes that used to be there.
This is the community’s jewel in its crown. Right now, it doesn’t look much like a jewel. Quite frankly, we need to get our act together. It’s a starting point for other changes the community needs. That’s why we’re doing the community improvement plans. The downtown area is a market-driven area. It’s not the same as the beach. The beach is our legacy, our signature of who we are. Grand Bend beach defines what this community is about.

Beach enhancement special report: Making beach more accessible will drive more money into businesses

John Dehondt
Lambton Shores Ward 1 councillor
Chair of beach enhancement committee
As told to Casey Lessard

Everybody likes the beach the way it is. We want to improve the parking lot and give some additional reasons to go to the beach. People want us to spend money on the main street. What people forget is there are two components to the main street: there’s the component the municipality owns, so the street, curbs, sidewalks, trees, light standards, benches, and all the things that make the town look nice; we can change all of those. What we can’t change are the buildings themselves. That’s driven by economics. The only way to drive more money into their businesses is by somehow making our beach more accessible to more people so we have a bigger shoulder season.
The motivation for changing the beach is the same motivation we have for changing the main street. If we can start doing different things in our parking lots to make it look nicer, make it more accessible for challenged people, and attract more families with young children, it would also impact how our main street looks.
We didn’t prioritize the beach over the main street. They’re being done at the same time. We have a main street meeting in January. The beach is the thrust because if you can bring more families, empty nesters and grandparents, they are the ones with money. They come to the beach, shop at the shops and eat at the restaurants. By changing the beach slightly, we hope to bring more money into the main street.
Because the beach is a seasonal thing, we want to stretch the season out. We have our main season from mid-June to Labour Day; we need to develop our shoulder seasons. If we can draw people to the beach to do things other than swim, through festivals and the play area, we can extend that season. At the end of the turnaround, we’re going to build an area where we can do festivals, much like the Burgerfest last year. If we have the area to do that, we will attract people to run and attend the events.
One of the things that kept coming up was that there’s no place for kids to go when the water’s rough or when the beach is posted. So we looked at alternate means of getting people wet in the summertime. When people think of the play park, they think of waterslides, lots of noise and waves. It’s not that at all. Basically it’s a rubber pad with four or five spigots that are a little taller than a person and they spray water. There will be a couple things you can direct, but that’s about it. Water comes from the municipality. It needs a beach application, but it will help people wash off instead of going to the beach house. In the old days we also had a swing set and slides, and we want to bring some of that back. People think this children’s area is going to block the beach. It’s not. There will be benches there to sit at and watch the sunset, and I think it’s going to be a really nice enhancement.
We also need to clean our lake. Lambton Shores wraps around the lake, but a lot of pollutants come from other areas. A lot of our pollutants come from the farming community, our aging septic systems, the way some industries treat our lake like a sewer. Those things all need to be addressed by big government. We have a Clean Water Now initiative headed by Rotary, and they’ve set up a water monitoring system. It monitors the wind-wave-water conditions and determines what led to the beach being posted.
The overall goal is that we end up in a better position. People are saying it’s a water park on a sandy beach. We know that. The engineering is structured to deal with that. The water that is going in there will irrigate and feed some of the plants that will be there to control the sand. We’re going to put in a green roof on the beach house so that will reduce long-term wear and tear on the building. Our elevator is going in this December, and we’re very excited about that. One of the criticisms is that it’s in a hostile environment and it won’t last as long as it would in the city of Toronto. So what? So what if it has a shorter lifespan; so what if it needs a little more oil and grease? That’s part of allowing the citizens of Lambton Shores to enjoy what all of us other people enjoy.

Beach enhancement special report: Beach is fine, focus on Main Street first

Doug Smaill and Janet Carter
Huckleberries Café
As told to Casey Lessard

Doug: They’re putting the cart before the horse. People come to the beach. That’s not an issue.
I have yet to talk to anyone who is really for beach enhancement. Most people like the beach the way it is now. We need to talk about main street enhancement. In the last 14 months, we’ve lost eight full-time, year-round businesses including Blomans, I’m Starvin’, The Dollar Store, Saga Bound, Finnegan’s, The Health Nut, Periwinkles, Royal LePage. We’ve had a couple of year-round businesses that have now pulled out for the winter: Lakeview Café and the Pineland. The municipality, especially Ward 1, should be trying to make sure that stops.
Let’s not worry about the beach – the beach is packed in the summer. To add a children’s splash park, there are all sorts of issues around maintenance of that. The expense of it; the location of it. It would be great to have a water park, just not on the beach. We get sand all the way up here, so to put the mechanics of a water park on the main beach, the maintenance would be horrendous.
As far as trees going in on the beach, most people don’t go to the beach to sit in the shade. They too would be better in a park away from the beach. If we’re able to spend $1.8 million on a parking lot, I’m sure we can spend some more money on another piece of land downtown.
Janet: It’s great to implement new things. Just show me it’s going to work.
In the three seasons we’ve owned Huckleberries, we have yet to see any money spent on main street, and yet they’ve planted trees that are dying, dead, gone; they’ve got buckets around some trees that are broken; they have hydro beside the trees that is non-existent (it’s there, it’s just not useable). We’ve had people tell us about lights in anchors not working properly. The bridge needs painting, the pier needs painting; these are all very doable things with the right manpower, but we don’t even have the infrastructure for that. I don’t understand how anyone can back a program that doesn’t have the infrastructure in place.
Change is good. But it needs to be reasonable change. Things that can be affordable. Come together with an entire plan that tells us how much it’s going to cost to instigate it (because I don’t believe $3.5 million will do it), how much it’s going to cost to maintain it, how much additional manpower is going to be put into place to maintain it, and whether or not what they’ve already got is going to be maintained in this process.
Our winters are very tough on businesses that stay open in the winter. Are they going to raise our taxes, which are already higher than the average? Are they going to hit the residential people? I’m sure that won’t make them happy either. I want to know that this is going to be self-sustaining.
From what I’ve seen, there is no revenue generation; it is all cost. Where are we going to get revenue for all of these projects? I appreciate the Rotary and the Community Foundation are behind this. I believe we need to be behind enhancement for Grand Bend. But let’s do the due diligence. Someone needs to look at this and decide whether this is the best use of our money.
Doug: People tell us they want to see the main street fixed. They would like to see better infrastructure in terms of the benches and the sidewalk. A lot of things could be done with the main street that wouldn’t be nearly as expensive as, for example, purchasing the pier. Let’s call Port Stanley and ask them how much the maintenance and upgrade for that would be.
Janet: We’re proud of Grand Bend and we care enough to be concerned about what’s happening.
It’s a beautiful project. Beautification is a great thing. But if it’s not meant to be in Grand Bend, then it shouldn’t be in Grand Bend. That’s what we need to determine: will it work here?

Beach enhancement special report: Bonnie Doone Manor on the Beach

Kristie McIndoe on behalf of Mel and Elia Douglas
Bonnie Doone Manor on the Beach
Via Fax

Since the beach enhancement idea first surfaced a few years ago, we have been talking with our customers about what they would like to see at the beach. Many of these families are second, third and fourth generations returning year after year for their vacations in our wonderful slice of paradise. The resounding opinion is that Mother Nature has given us one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – why would we want to change that? Many of these customers have written letters to council stating just that and many more have signed a petition against changes to the beach.
Change is inevitable. Without it, there would be no progress, but we need to consider each of these decisions and their impact on our natural environment.
Environmental and ecological studies need to be done on the impact of the splash and sprinkler pads on the beach. Studies also need to be done on the impact of planting trees that are not indigenous to the sandy beach. Will we be making mistakes that will negatively impact the quality of our water and drive our customers (and revenue source) away?
Feasibility studies need to be done. What kind of expensive technical maintenance will this require, and how many additional people will need to be hired?
We would ask that the next public meeting be held in July or August, making it more accessible for our property owners that live out of town, so they can attend and express their concerns.
We need to make smart choices with all the facts, not uninformed hasty ones. Would this wonderful gift of money be better spent in other ways throughout Grand Bend?

Beach enhancement special report: Beachfront property owner

Jaye Robinson
Beachfront cottage owner
Director of events, City of Toronto department of economic development, culture and tourism.
As told to Casey Lessard

The most pressing issue Grand Bend faces is the water quality in Lake Huron. It’s quite extreme. Unless everybody plays a part in cleaning up the lake, it’s not going to be addressed. Residents and tourists have to fight for this at the provincial and federal government levels.
If they proceed with the water park, what are the environmental impacts of that? We’re trying to clean up the lake, but if it’s adding to the pollution of that, we’re not moving forward; we’re moving backward.
Grand Bend has this natural gift of this spectacular beachfront. Across the nation, most municipal governments are looking at ways to naturalize beaches and return them to their natural condition.
Instead of moving on to new initiatives, we need to address the existing structures. Finish the beach house and current facilities. That building should have been designed to minimize the beach space usage and to leave the beach in as natural a state as possible. It really is an eyesore.
I’ve seen families leave the beach early because of overly aggressive behaviour. People migrate to the main beach; it attracts too many people, yet they’re going to intensify the problem by putting the water park there. Perhaps that should go somewhere else in Grand Bend to take pressure off the main beach.
I think people are most concerned about the main street. The layout and design, signage and lighting are problematic; make it more pedestrian-friendly and therefore safer.
In Toronto, we have grant programs to clean up neighbourhoods; everybody wins. We’d end up with a revitalized downtown strip. Simple measures like that can have a big impact.

Beach enhancement special report: Community Foundation

Chair David Bannister
As told to Casey Lessard

I am very much in favour of enhancing the beach. I know people have certain reservations about parts of the plan, but I think overall the plan is a good beginning.
The main beach is very important to the community. It’s part of the persona of Grand Bend. I’m down there every day, often taking pictures. I go by it quite often on the sailboat. It is a beautiful beach. It’s not surprising that people get charged up about making changes or enhancements.
I almost wish they had called it the Grand Bend beach parking lot improvement project, because that’s largely what it is. I think people are getting tied up in making changes to the beach when, in my opinion, it will only beautify the area. I know a lot of people would rather start with the downtown, and there’s certainly merit to that. It needs work.
If you go down and look at the beach at this time of year, they have to put snow fencing up to prevent sand getting up the main street. Efforts to support the dunes by planting dune grass that will survive the winter - admittedly that’s a tall order - would keep the beach from trying to migrate east every winter. Maybe it would prevent them from having to put up that snow fence all winter, which I don’t think is all that attractive.
Landscaping and brickwork to make that turnaround area a more attractive welcome to the beach is very positive. Planting trees there for shade is very important as we get into more UV problems with people getting too much sun. The shade would be good for vehicles and for the people who are down on the beach area.
I know one of the most controversial things is the children’s play area and the water play area, and the municipality has to take the public’s input on that and consider, Is it in the right location and is it the right facility?
I personally believe it’s important to have something like that for children. There’s been a lot of talk about whether it’s safe. At this point, we have lifeguards on the beach and children are playing near the main water area under their parents’ supervision. This would get them away from the potentially rough water, because it is dangerous when the flags are up and it’s posted as a rough water day.
You often will hear it said that after the Labour Day weekend, the village gets to take back its community. Grand Bend has always attracted a huge number of young people, and the beach is a big part of that. It’s always going to be difficult to balance the needs of families interested in using the beach against those of young people who are coming to have a good time. The two really are not compatible. The beach enhancements will change the demographic.
Grand Bend is a huge and growing tax base for the municipality of Lambton Shores. You’ll find the same number of entries in the phone book in Grand Bend as you do for Exeter. If you look at the facilities the village has to offer, it has a hugely different level of services. It’s about time the level of the beach area and downtown continued to improve with the neighbourhoods in the area.
The municipality is quite upfront about the fact that it makes significant revenues from that parking lot, and in my mind, that could go a long way toward maintaining that facility. It’s laudable that the municipality wants to keep that money in and around the beach area where they’re making it.
There’s no question the municipality can’t fund the whole thing. Grand Bend has shown in the past if you capture the community’s interest in a project, they will come up with the funding.
I feel there’s a large groundswell of support, maybe not for the project as it exists - it may need some tweaking. When we’ve got the municipality willing to improve the beach, why wouldn’t we take advantage of the opportunity to improve that area?

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