One city councillor wants to make sure everything is in place whenever the time comes to begin work on relocating Windsor's Sandpoint Beach.
Council passed a notice of motion Monday that was introduced by Ward 7 Councillor Angelo Marignani that calls for city administration to submit a comprehensive status report that benchmarks the Sandpoint Beach Master Plan against the Lifesaving Society of Canada's safety standards while identifying the technical requirements to ensure the project is shovel-ready for provincial and federal grant applications.
Marignani says what they're doing with his motion is 'getting the shovels ready'.
"So you need a class B assessment or a class B status on design and environmental. So basically, it puts everything in place so that upper levels of government can fund the project. So basically, the motion, pretty much, puts it at the starting gate," he says.
Sandpoint Beach was closed to swimmers on June 9, 2025, after a 15-year-old drowned and two earlier fatalities.
City administration is also conducting a review of the master plan.
The city's proposed master plan calls for the relocation of the beach east to steer clear of a steep drop-off and strong currents at the western edge, where the Detroit River meets Lake St. Clair, which is expected to cost $15 million.
Marignani says by being at the starting gate when they get the information from the Lifesaving Society of Canada, they're ready to go.
"In 2022, it was $10 million. In 2025, it's $15 million. One way we can save taxpayers' dollars is by having everything ready. Everything that upper levels and senior levels of government, those who give grant opportunities, having everything ready so when that grant window opens, we're ready," he says.Marignani believes the results of the current safety audit will align with calls to move the beach's main swimming area east and hopes council supports the possible move.
"The Lifesaving Society of Canada is going to come out with the same report that they did last time. Currents did not change. This really is the answer, and we'll have that discussion when it comes to council, and I hope they see the importance of it, our waterfront," he says.
As part of Windsor's 2026 budget, $1.5 million in funding was approved to replace the existing playground with a large accessible playground along with the addition of a new splash pad, but there was not funding in the 10-year capital plan to pay for the implementation of the Sandpoint Beach master plan.
The report requested by Marignani will also include input from the Windsor Port Authority regarding their land holdings, as it owns land at the western end of the beach, while also outlining a strategy to engage funding partners such as the Rotary Club of Windsor as well as corporate sponsorship for collaborative investment opportunities.