A beach closure due to extensive contamination would be horrible for all of us
To the Expositor:
Last night after dinner we went for a walk down the boardwalk for an ice cream at the Providence Bay pavilion. After this lovely visit, I decided to take a walk back by the beach, which I have done for nearly 30 years now. I was dismayed and disgusted to see that someone or several someones are allowing their dogs to use the beach as an outhouse. I have not in all my years here seen this level of mess! There is no exaggeration when I say that there was not two feet that was not lousy with dog excrement and all with an foot of the water’s edge. Plenty of large dog prints surrounded this matter from the Mindemoya River’s mouth down to close to the park entry—shocking—and I left the beach at this point to return to the boardwalk. This after months and years of volunteers, local residents, campers and visitors working hand-in-hand to maintain our beautiful beach!
With hundreds of families with small children about to descend in time to join in this Canada Day’s festivities once school is out, the level to which the matter extends concerns this reader for contamination of the water and sand. This is so dismaying and disheartening-we have often commented to transients coming through after witnessing their failure to pick up after their dogs on the need to do so. Parvo, a horrible disease caused by this irresponsible behaviour, is on the rise and no wonder with the mess I saw last evening! I am willing to go out with shovel and plastic bags in hand this coming week but unless something is done to stop this behaviour it will be a wasted effort. If it continues a beach closure due to the extensive contamination posing health hazard in the future would be horrible consequence for all of us!
Sandra Lavoie
Providence Bay and North Bay
