Help is needed to assist tourism in Southampton says reader

Tourism is an important industry in Southampton. Business owners supporting tourism can only do so much. They rely on the Town meeting their responsibilities.

Underneath the iconic flag in Southampton, the shore retaining wall was partially washed out during the high lake level, several years ago. As shown, I am not sure if this is a temporary or a permanent repair as it only has an inadequate hazard warning cone. For locals and tourists, this is the most popular spot in Southampton. At present it is an unsafe and unfinished construction site.

At the mouth of the Saugeen River at present, there are two fishing boats which have been laid up on the south side dock for a long time. One in particular, “ Just in Time” was involved in an unfortunate accident on the dock a few years ago. Commercial fishing is still operating from Southampton harbour, selling their catch from the dockside. This area is also a tourist attraction. Is it not time to remove these laid up fishing boats ?

Last, but not least, the apparently abandoned Captain Spence Trail, which runs along the beach between the Flag and the River. A large portion of the trail was washed out during the same high lake level. At the River end, there is a caution sign warning of the trail damage. Many days, I sit by the flag enjoying a coffee and folks are still walking the risky rocky route. It only requires the re-installation of the crushed stone path, tying back into what is left of the original trail.

These issues all occurred prior to 2022 and there has been ample time to carry out repairs. Per Town issued reports, the taxpayer funded Legacy Fund as of 2023 has over $6 million available. I am sure that taxpayers would appreciate using a small portion of this fund to fix these unsafe situations.

Allan Murray

Southampton