MORRISBURG – Increased usage of parks and waterfront areas within South Dundas as well as complaints received have indicated the need for additional tools to deal with unacceptable behaviour. The implementation of a Park Use By-Law will give staff the tools they need to create and enforce consistent rules at all municipal parks, including the beaches, and Director Jansen provided Council with an overview of the draft by-law.

The by-law is structured into two main parts to accommodate the diverse nature of South Dundas’s Park system:

Part I: Application to All Parks and Open Spaces:

This section contains rules that apply universally across the Municipality’s park system, ranging from neighbourhood playgrounds to larger community parks. Key provisions address fundamental issues related to:

  1. a) Public Decorum: Prohibitions on theft, vandalism, nuisance, and disturbance
  2. b) Property use: Regulations concerning sale of goods, erection of signage and unauthorized entry
  3. c) Safety restrictions: Rules governing fires, weapons, and fireworks
  4. d) Vehicle and mobility: Restrictions on driving or operating vehicles outside designated roads and parking areas
  5. e) Overnight use: Prohibitions on camping or intent of sleeping overnight

Part II: Application to Waterfront Parks:

This section contains specific, specialized rules that apply only to designated waterfront and beach parks (e.g., Morrisburg and Iroquois). These rules are tailored to manage high-density usage and public activities unique to swimming areas. Key provisions include:

  1. a) Watercraft: Regulations on where it is acceptable to launch and moor a boat
  2. b) Fishing: Specific rules on locations and restrictions for fishing to prevent conflicts with swimming areas.
  3. c) Animal Control: Prohibitions on animal access to beach areas and designated waterfront zones.
  4. d) Recreation: Rules for the safe use of tents or sunshades within the beach areas.
  5. e) Cooking: Restrictions on BBQing and open flame devices within define beach waterfront zones.
  6. f) Safety: Provisions regarding lifesaving equipment access and use.

It is understood that rules only work if they are enforced. The new by-law gives staff the legal authority to issue tickets that will stand up to scrutiny in court. To implement regulations that will have the desired effect, Council has directed staff to use education first and use 2026 as a learning year via major information campaign to explain the new rules. Tickets and fines will only be used for serious violations, people who interfere with By-Law Officers, or repeat offenders. This approach helps people understand the rules before strict enforcement begins.

Additionally, staff will investigate different methods of enforcement and asked for Council’s input on which approach is preferred. Three options were presented:

  1. Have the current By-Law officer attempt random/limited spot checks throughout the week and weekend. This has the lowest immediate cost to the Township, but also offers the least effective method of enforcement as coverage would be light
  2. Hire a part-time employee specifically to help with enforcement. This would allow adequate staffing during busy periods without the commitment of a full-time position. Coverage could still be inconsistent, and it requires administrative time and cost for recruitment, onboarding and ongoing training.
  3. Appoint internal staff (Public Works/Parks staff) as By-Law officers for enforcement of specific, low-risk activities such as parking and litter. This is efficient as appointed staff are already on-site performing other duties and could benefit other enforcement areas such as winter parking. It would, however, require mandatory training and certification involving a time and financial commitment and could also put staff in potential confrontational situations.

Council had some strong opinions on the matter, starting with Mayor Jason Broad. “The status quo is not good enough. Clear from personal conversations I have had with residents, conversations I’ve had with the team, and social media posts, we just need change. I love all the ideas, there’s lots of ways to think about it, and the waterfront committees, there’s lots of things we can do. I want to move ahead, not with the status quo.”

“If we have to put money in the budget, let’s put it in there, know what we’re going to do and work with the partners, the waterfront committees and the other people who have great ideas, I just think we’ve got to move ahead. We’ve talked about this a couple times, but let’s drive on and get something going for sure.”

“I agree with your first point,” added Deputy Mayor St. Pierre. “We’re creating these By-laws; we’re trying to get more structure. We created a new By-law the last meeting or the meeting before, and I think if we’re going to be serious about our by-laws then we need someone to be serious about enforcing the By-laws. I think we really need to move forward; I like the education first piece, and I think that will be complimented with the signage for our waterfront, for example if we have designated area where people can enjoy eating areas, outdoor eating areas, then that is where they need to go.

“I just think that if we don’t do that, and from what I’ve seen, we’re trying to create the cenotaph at the Morrisburg waterfront, and I’m not saying it’s bad that people were there, but there’s volleyball going on and I can see if we’re trying to mix things together, if we could have some designated areas, I think that is a better way to do that. How you do that, if it’s a staff member or we take a more approach and have to hire somebody, maybe they are a full-time staff member, to complement our other By-law officers, maybe that’s what we have to do and maybe we have to take that serious. I agree on that.”

Councillor Danielle Ward was also in agreement. “I agree, I think we should just hire someone. I’d like to see the option to…it’s a lot for one person to enforce that many people, I’m sure if anyone has been down there, there’s a lot of people that go to the beaches and for one person who maybe people don’t recognize them as a person with authority to enforce rules, it could be extremely challenging.

“I would like to see us reach out to the OPP, and if they’re not interested in assisting us with this, I would like to see us to reach out to someone who has a private police service. I know the City of Cornwall has a police service that I know you can hire for events or security. I’d like to see if that’s an option for the first time, just to get the message across that we’re taking it seriously and it’s not a matter of debate, these are the rules.”

She also was in favour of education first and that information should start being posted on social media about changes as soon as possible.

Councillor Cole Veinotte and Tom Smyth both also echoed the same sentiments as their colleagues.

The next step will be for the proposed Bylaw to be presented to both the Morrisburg and Iroquois Waterfront Committee’s to gather their input on the topic.