I have been a resident of Anderdon Township (Amherstburg) for 52 years. I was raised in the River Canard area and was a frequent visitor to LaSalle and Amherstburg for various social functions and entertainment, among many other things.
After reading the council meeting article I find it totally disgusting that we have become a society of haves and have nots. I can remember when we were able to have access to the beautiful river.
Over the years various town councils have been wanting to limit public access to river activities one after the other.
There used to be a boat ramp at the coal yard that gave small boat owners access to a day’s use for no charge. Now it is the “Navy Yard.”
There was a small beach on the south side of town (Duby’s beach). Every weekend people would be there swimming and barbecuing.
The town let it go or didn’t bid on it and it sold as a building lot. There was a beach at the end of Old Front Road called Bailey’s beach; it had a pavilion where there were teen dances and entertainment every weekend. It is now sold to subdivided lots. All access to the river was erased over the years without consideration to what the general public actually wants.
I found it very disturbing that so much money has been invested in the Navy Yard and that we can’t even find space for a few townspeople to go fishing for a day or have space to dock a small boat and have access to the town and maybe visit our businesses and eateries.
The park as it stands with all these silly restrictions is a waste of the only river frontage that the town owns. Too bad they sold all that was given to them by Anderdon Township. It was not Amherstburg’s to sell but amalgamation does things that should have never happened.
Remember whose idea it was for amalgamation. I find it very hard to believe that part of the Navy Yard Park can’t be divided for the use of Amherstburg residents to use for fishing, boating, canoeing without being charged.
The park is huge it shouldn’t be a problem to accommodate all town residents free of charge.
—Ron Drouillard
Amherstburg
Waterfront areas for fishing should be provided free-of-charge
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