A shuttle bus will be available starting this weekend for individuals wanting to visit Lakeview Park West Beach in Belle River.
Lakeshore council approved the pilot project on Tuesday night, which will see a shuttle service available to beach-goers from the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre to the beach.
The shuttle will run from June 13 to September 7 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
The municipality is adding this service due to an influx of visitors to the beach following the closure of Sandpoint Beach in June 2025. Due to this influx, the beach area experienced significant overcrowding and parking issues, where nearby residents raised concerns over traffic congestion and vehicles parking in surrounding neighbourhoods.
On top of the shuttle service, the municipality also approved additional bylaw enforcement coverage on weekends and holidays to address these ongoing concerns during peak beach periods.
Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt says this is a great way to address an ongoing issue in the municipality.
“I know there’s been tons of calls and complaints; some of council has received some, I know the mayor has probably received a lot as well... I know I’ve had a few calls. And if anybody has been down there on the weekend, they’ll know why this report is coming to us.”
There was concern over whether 3 p.m. was late enough for the service and questions over if it should be expanded.
Councillor Ian Ruston says this is a good place to start before making changes.
“If we do see that it needs to more, I think it’s appropriate to come back at that time to do it, so I like it how it stands right now. It’s a start, and that’s where we need to go, and I’m sure we’ll evolve as it goes forward.”
Councillor John Kerr was opposed to the shuttle and says this pilot project makes him nervous since last summer was ‘unique’ due to the closure of Sandpoint.
“We had a unique cast of characters that showed up; it wasn’t the usual people. And another thing that I worry about is we talk about walkable communities, we talk about our BIA, and if we put everybody over there and we only bring them to the beach, there’s less chance of them being in our BIA and enjoying our walkable community.”
Councillor Kerr and councillor Larissa Vogler were opposed to the pilot.
The municipality will now gather data on ridership, usage patterns, and overall effectiveness before deciding whether to make the shuttle a permanent program beginning in 2027 and whether the shuttle times need to be adjusted.
Council approved just shy of $9,000 for the shuttle bus service and about $15,000 for bylaw enforcement overtime. This funding will be covered through the Bylaw Services and Parks and Recreation reserves.