The Case of the Mysterious Blockade at Government Dock

Aug 23, 2024 at 11:41

UPDATE:

• The barricade has been removed. It had been placed there by concerned citizens because of the amount of human waste that was being left in the bushes adjacent to the beach
• A group is being formed that will be approaching the Municipality for permission to install a self-composting outhouse
• A request will be made to the Municipality for a bear-proof garbage bin to reduce the amount of litter left on the beach

Aug 22, 2024 at 05:21

Wawa-news received several emails yesterday about a huge 10″ timber that has been placed, blocking the little road that leads into a small parking spot at Government Dock.

 

This spot is fancied by many Wawa residents who frequent the beach not only in the fair weather, but to see the stormy waves that move the pebbles and reveal the timbers that were the foundation for the dock that once hosted steamers (1910). Recognizing the history of this spot to residents and visitors is a double sided door. One side recognizes Morley Callaghan, a a critically acclaimed writer and novelist; whose third novel, The Broken Journey, which took place in the Mission. The face of the door, the side that you see as you approach the beach, features Captain Arthur Batten and the S.S. Caribou. For 32 years Batten and his vessel brought tourists, food, poultry, cattle, horses, vehicles and barrels of fish from Sault Ste. Marie to the mining camps of Michipicoten and Wawa.

 

Today, though it is a peaceful spot where many just sit on the beach, picnic, stroll and enjoy the waves and spectacular sunsets. Some utilize that double spot to park while watching a family member walk the beach. Some seniors have been seen parking there to access the beach in just a short walk. There is a small trail from the parking lot – but it isn’t an easy way for someone with uncertain balance or weak legs.

It is not know who placed the barrier there… but it has been moved, opening the roadway. It is unclear if the barrier will be back in place again today. If preserving the beach from vehicular traffic is the aim, perhaps a pair of posts should be placed after that little parking spot to protect the beach?

The right to access the shoreline has made headlines in Southern Ontario. In 2015, Bill 118, Great Lakes Shoreline Right of Passage Act, created a right of passage along the shoreline of the Great Lakes between the water’s edge and the high water mark. One might wonder if most of the beach would be covered under that – as the waves of Lake Superior have reached ut to that little spot during some of the larger storms.