North Bay's Olmsted Beach to become more accessible
By next week, North Bay city officials say Olmsted Beach should be completely upgraded.
Upgrades include a new playground, a wheelchair accessible beach mat, and paved pathways and parking lots.
“People will be able to wheel down on this wide path so you can be to wheelchairs side by side," said North Bay city councillor Johanne Brousseau.
"Either take the beach mat to get to the water or get to the playground or wheel towards the boat launch. They’ve added more benches, and tables and we have accessible washrooms.”
Brousseau said the upgrades are in an effort to make North Bay more accessible for everyone.
“We want to include all of our population,” she said. “At first you may think it’s just for somebody with a physical mobility issue, but we’re all going to get there. As we age, we want the city to be age friendly.”
The upgraded area is good news for members of the municipal accessible advisory committee. Barbara Smith, who sits on the committee and is also visually impaired, told CTV News the upgrades will allow for people with mobility limitations to get outdoors more often.
“If you’re a person living with a disability and you have a family now you can go to the park," Smith said.
"If you’re in a wheelchair, you can at least watch your children play in the water, you can watch your children sit at the picnic table with you and not have to be off in some other corner watching from a fair ... You’re an active participant in your community and in your family circle.”
Brousseau is confident many people will use the new area, with some people already expressing their excitement.
“I’ve had two citizens who told me they are quite excited and will be here right away they will be the first ones to wheel down that mat,” she said.
“They’ve never been able to swim in Trout Lake, so they will be here testing it out.”
City officials say the project will cost roughly $200,000 and should be complete by next week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.