Our first clue that something was wrong was a recent Facebook picture of a group of happy canoeists about to set off from the Seine River Aimes Road Bridge launch site. The paddling site exists in a jurisdictional limbo, part of neither the City nor the Provincial park system. Landscape contractors like Clintar use the site for filling up their water trucks for boulevard tree watering. During the dry part of last summer wheel rutting in the riverbank was marginal; annoying, but not critical. Soft spring soil is evidently another matter. This type of habitat destruction is not acceptable.
At an onsite meeting, held just before the damage was incurred, Councillor Markus Chambers told us that a standpipe exists in St. Norbert for city contractor use. At the very least, that standpipe should be used during wet seasons. Both CBRA and SOS are willing to meet with the Province and the City to discuss park upgrades such as launch-site access hardening. At that time other important items like waste containers, signage and use regulations can be discussed. This meeting is several years overdue.
