In the currently proposed budget for 2024, there will once again be no lifeguards on Cobourg’s main beach but Brenda and Robert Picard have started a petition to bring them back. If I recall correctly, there were three reasons they were discontinued for 2021 and 2023: 1) To save money; 2) to avoid liability problems and 3) recruiting lifeguards was getting difficult. But Brenda says in her change-org petition: “…water safety is of paramount importance to me. The absence of lifeguards at Cobourg main beach has left many of us feeling unsafe and anxious. Our beach is a popular destination for both locals and tourists alike, and it’s crucial that we have trained professionals on hand to respond to any potential emergencies.”
It’s notable that Cobourg’s Beach rates a “Blue flag” designation which calls for safety measures but does not explicitly require lifeguards. When the decision was made by Council to not have lifeguards, it was noted that many (actually most) Ontario beaches do not have lifeguards – so why are they required on Cobourg’s Beach?
A decision on this would be made in budget discussions scheduled for January 9. This meeting is also when a decision will be made on whether to spend big budget dollars on the centennial pool – which also requires lifeguards.
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Could the lifeguard stations be re-purposed as a type of yurt and rented out in the campground?
This decision made by council was a good one. I woefully watch at the beach & YMCA during swimming lessons & witness the vast amount of parents whose faces are in their cell phones. Neglectful & self indulgent. Parents need to be responsible & involved with their children.
I will miss the charm of the pastel coloured stands. As Carol & Rob point out; ‘we are losing many benefits we had & are gaining a lousy reputation’. I also agree with Cobourg Taxpayer, too much dependence on the government = a loss of autonomy. I think of the hundreds of thousands we are “losing” in First Responder calls to the encampment I observe a # of times daily (also as a result of neglectful & self indulgent entitlement).
From the Ontario Parks website,
” Our beach areas do not have lifeguards. Everyone is responsible for their individual water safety.Jun 11, 2023″.
“Wasaga Beach is home to the World’s Longest Freshwater Beach and one of Ontario’s most unique coastal dune ecosystems. More than 14 kilometers of white sandy coastline welcome millions of visitors from around the world every year.”
My take is that if “the World’s Longest Freshwater Beach” with “millions of visitors” does not have lifeguards, we can follow suit. As much as I would love to have lifeguards everywhere – and I do mean everywhere because all human life is precious – I just don’t think we can afford it.
When I was growing up, parents were expected to be responsible for their children. And, “always swim with a buddy” is still the best water safety advice I know – and follow myself.
Best
Lydia
I have spoken to a young female lifeguard who works at a water park near Barrie..she said the water park needed lifeguards but any lifeguard working on the beach said they were just
babysitters…parents panicked when their toddler wandered off because parent too busy to
watch their children…would have been my top priority..but mostly lifeguards are looking for lost children…
The young man who drowned this past summer was swimming in an area with tricky undercurrent… efforts were made to rescue him to no avail…very sad but lifeguards don’t usually cover that area..I think parents should bring with them their own babysitters…putting the onus on a young lifeguard to safeguard your young children is a cop out…what if you young one did drown
Do you want that guilt placed on a young teen? For years we swam in the Lake and our parents expected us to take of ourselves…not the towns job.
I too have spoken to a former Lifeguard and one of the problems that they experienced was the inability to properly observe the Water front and see what is actually going on . Small children do not travel that far out from the beach and the View lines are blocked
Apparently there are / were so many Tents , Umbrellas , sun shade devices going up along the waters edge and with the Crowds forming along the waters edge that made it impossible to watch
for people in distress . When they attempted to preserve the viewing areas lines and ask some families to move back or lower their sun shad items many became belligerent and or aggressive some simply refused to communicate in english Its a Thankless Job ! and By Laws are not inplace to help . Come to think of it We did not see any Lifeguards in Costa Rica on our last trip only swim at your own risk and Sharks
First off, this beach is within a municipality. Cobourg is a blue flag beach.
In my eyes having made the investments on lifeguard beach huts and jot having lifeguards is crazy.
Cobourg remains a destination for many from the GTA. The beach is their primary destination.
We lost one individual, putting the primary responsibility on a visitor to Cobourg, to be the eyes and ears.
When I heard the news that lifeguards were to axed, the classiness of Cobourg faded.
Reinstate the guards. If needed have businesses contribute to the cost. Have the crazy mishmash of parking fees contribute to a lifeguard fund. Whatever it takes.
No lifeguards. No Highland games.
Do you see a trend here.
Yes – perhaps (hopefully!!) a trend towards common sense. The move of the Highland Games to the Agricultural Fairgrounds in Port Hope makes all kinds of sense — the venue lends itself completely to this sort of event. Lots of space – even a track for the bands to march on!! — Lots of parking and on and on – just have a look at it for yourself. As for the Games leaving Cobourg — honestly “why” is that so bad? Sure it brings lots of tourists to town — who attend the games – don’t shop in downtown stores nor restaurants – create lots of parking confusion and mess to clean up in the aftermath. I was really pleased to hear of the the Games’ move to Port Hope. Anyone from Cobourg who wants to attend the games, has only a 10 minute drive. As far as the lifeguards — two pennies worth (above) says it all and I completely agree.
Have businesses contribute to the cost? Most local businesses are barely getting by and to suggest that they contribute to the cost of lifeguards is simply not going to happen. Beach goers do not shop at their stores.
Most lifeguards are teenagers (my son was one) and a beach is not like a swimming pool where numbers can be controlled. I personally think the decision made by Council was a good one.
Glenn,
You wrote: “First off, this beach is within a municipality.” So what? All beaches are within a municipality
Further, “Cobourg is a blue flag beach”. Again, so what. Cobourg pays for this somewhat meaningless designation as part of the Town’s marketing. Being a “Blue Flag” beach provides little if any benefit to Cobourgers and is meaningless to most beachers. They know where the beach is and they know what their getting. “Blue Flag” is another needless Town expense.
You also wrote: “If needed have businesses contribute to the cost” I there were beach lifeguards, all Cobourg property owners would be contributing tp the cost. Why should local businesses contribute more? What benefit do they receive?
“We lost one individual, putting the primary responsibility on a visitor to Cobourg”
Primary responsibility for what? Did the Town appoint this visitor “lifeguard” for the day? The primary responsibility rests with the person who drown, no one else. “Use at own risk” means exactly what it says.
You also seemed to have missed the main reason for not having lifeguards at the beach: LIABILITY. Lifeguards indicate that using the beach is risky and the Town is trying to mitigate the risk. Town staff are well aware of this and the case law that supports their position.
“Use at own risk” puts the responsibility for the risk exactly where it belongs.
I agree with no lifeguards on the beach. Even though saving of money means taxes will only be frittered away on something else, in my opinion Cobourgers have become way too dependent on government providing everything. For gods sake learn to swim, watch your kids and be responsible for yourself. We would not be in the mess we’re in if all believed this.
Cobourg taxpayer, you gave me my morning chuckle with the ‘frittered away’ comment. I do not have an opinion on lifeguards as I do not know how effective they are. One of the reasons for not allowing the water park a few years ago was the difficulty of hiring lifeguards, from what I remember. This past summer there was a drowning, possibly from an experienced swimmer. Would a lifeguard have prevented this death? Would it likely have happened anyway and the lifeguard(s) suffer from PTSD? The petition did not mention the availability of lifeguards. Did anybody check on JD’s reason 3) the difficulty in recruiting, to know if this is a factor now?
Then if we have to Reduce expenses by not having Life Guards then lets go All The Way and stop spending horrendous amounts of money Tax Dollars on Marketing the beach for a short 3 month season which comes with all kinds of Costs in many other areas .We have already killed the SandCastle weekend and lost the Highland Games to Port Hope So Lets Save ! and Keep Cobourg Green er for the Town s sake The handling of Garbage alone and summer Policing is far more costly than a few Life guards
Beach goers are not seen in swim suits on King st . We also lack Parking that seems to disrupt
all residential life style both by Noise and inconsiderate Beach goers through out the Beach neighbourhood areas, as well as loads of garbage that’s left behind where its dropped at huge expense and Labour to clean it up. Most of the Locals I know seem to Avoid the Beach as its Over Crowded during Prime season and weekends .
Try Going all the Way for a year and see the outcome it just might be for the Better for all Coburger’s .
On summer weekends, I tend to leave town as a Cobourgian due to extensive weekend beach traffic, garbage, and diapers left on my front lawn. I do stay in town when there are key events at the beach and in Victoria Park because they are mostly free and many locals enjoy events such as the Waterfront Festival, Parades, Christmas Magic, and Ribfest. I would like to see more food truck vendors at Vic Park over the summer. If there are no lifeguards, then what is to become of the four beautiful lifeguard houses? We cannot have them sit empty. Maybe they will be converted into bathrooms for the encampment! Just saying… we paid for them anyways…
CT,
The lifeguard stands should not be placed on the beach during the summer. Doing so conveys a false message that lifeguards are on duty, in spite of the signs to the contrary.
Scotty had the right idea: sell the lifeguard stands.
In my opinion, its yet another small way that the feel good town, loses some of its good feeling. The Town spent tens of thousands of dollars on these terrific lifeguard stations, which IMO brought a little colour and life to the beach. The stations will sit empty until they eventually fall apart or the Town sells them. The empty lifeguard stations will be a nice compliment to a dilapidated east pier.
I have lived here for more than 20 years and raised a family here. It always felt safe. I have always been proud of this Town. Its always felt like Andy Griffiths Mayberry, in the most positive sense. But I have to say, the speed at which the shine has come off of our Town is utterly remarkable and with the current regime, including Council (Town and County), Municipal leadership including the CAO and CPS, I see no end to it.
Cobourg feels broken and I find that incredibly disappointing.
Yes the town did spend thousands of dollars on the lifeguard stations. Maybe they could sell them on Facebook Marketplace and recoup some of the $$’s from some other unsuspecting community who doesn’t realize what they’re in for… ridiculous — if people want to have their children swim at the Cobourg Beach – it should be their responsibility as parents to ensure that their children are safe!
I don’t disagree that parents must be responsible for the safety of their children at all times however most victims of drowning actually aren’t children … surprisingly enough.
And in the majority of drownings, there has been either a complete disregard for safety rules or something foolhardy has taken place.
I have to agree I have lived here for 47 years raised two children and have always been involved in the building of this community. You are so right it is amazing how quickly we are losing all the benefits we had and are gaining a lousy reputation. As several stores are opening downtown several are closing you might ask them why. I think you will find our parking issues and people feeling unsafe to come downtown as the reasons. The moving of the Highland Games to port hope should raise flags about our excessive parking charges. We have built a big department in the town just to take care of this money grab. Take a look at port hope and one can shop for 1.00 an hour and free on the weekends and after 6. We are now 2.25 an hour and 5.00 an hour near the beach. Please don’t tell me they are in big trouble I don’t think their tax increase is going to be as high as ours. I am saddened at what this group at the town are doing to this once feel good town.
Where does the revenue from parking go?
You mean Cobourg feels “Broke”.
It is far from broke…
Rob,
You’re right, the Cobourg is not broke. Spend, spend, spend and reach into the property taxpayer’s wallet. The bottomless well.
I do not buy into the “Liability” response as there is Municipal liability all over Victoria Park and elsewhere.
As far as difficultly getting people to be life guards at Cobourg Beach I can 100% understand that. Paying some kids to take on that responsibility’s these days just does not make sense for them. The petitioners expect seasonal young life guards to ensure everyone’s safety on a beach like Cobourg’s. Would you want your child taking on a job like this these days?
For those who are “left many of us feeling unsafe and anxious”. Then I would suggest you stay out of the water at Cobourg Beach or pay someone to hold your hands.
Kyle,
You wrote “I do not buy into the “Liability” response as there is Municipal liability all over Victoria Park and elsewhere.”
And that is the point. Does the Town post “park guards” in VP and elsewhere to watch out for careless people?
The answer is no. So why post “guards” at the beach?
You may not buy the “liability” argument, but it doesn’t matter. Town staff does and there is ample legal precedent to support their position.
I know it is counter intuitive, but that’s the way the law works sometimes.
Saving money has never been the Town’s reason for doing anything, least of all reducing/eliminating a service. Regarding lifeguards, the primary reason is liability.
While “feeling unsafe and anxious” is certainly a factor for some beachers, I think assuming responsibility for the your own safety (Use at own Risk) may also be a factor…..perhaps the main one. Then again, considering the crowds at the beach this past summer, the presence/absence of lifeguards may be a non-issue for most beachers
Considering what has happened to the reputation of Cobourg through the past year with the homeless/drug/ crime issue the beach may not be an issue with the reputation that Cobourg has acquired.
Perhaps the beach should become “Topless'” and we can really hit The Bottom. 😁😁
Then I would go to the beach 👍👍