Shanty Bay Wharf
My daughter swimming at the Beach beside the Dock.
The Dock. The Pier.
Whatever you may call it, it holds a special place in the hearts and memories of all the residents past and present of Shanty Bay. It’s one of the jewels of our community that attracts people to our area.
It’s also over 100 years old, and no-longer serves as a place of ‘safe harbour’ as was intended when the federal government put it in way back in the day. There are engineering reports that suggest there is potential for catastrophic damage to the wharf in the future as the Wooden cribs (below the surface of the concrete) continue to deteriorate.
The township inherited the dock from the federal government for $1.00 back in 1999. we were provided with an additional $10,000 for surface maintenance shortly thereafter. Nothing else.
The community needs to have its voice herd on how we want to proceed, especially as there has been increased concerns of ‘nuisance behaviour’ in the past few summers (especially during and post COVID-19 Pandemic.) A townhall was held on July 18th, 2024 and the launch of an ON-line survey open to the public to ensure their voices are heard. There are significant costs associated with the repair or replacement of the Wharf and those need to be balanced against the value the dock holds in our community (which i would personally say is quite a lot).
As of now, my preference would be for that dock to be repaired and remain a vital community owned water access for generations to come, however I’m only 1 of 7 votes on council. Having a well-received online survey will go along way in convincing the rest of my colleagues on council to repair it as well.