Kincardine council is taking steps in the short and long term to improve pier safety after another person drowned in Lake Huron this summer.
Councillors Amanda Steinhoff-Gray and Jennifer Prenger brought a motion earlier this month to ensure recommendations brought by the Life Saving Society of Canada back in 2016 are being implemented by November 15.
The motion also asked staff to come back to council by the end of December with a report assessing what is needed to paint a visibility strip on both piers, improve signage and upgrade the current ladders at the pier.
Local water safety advocate Megan Fair says the repairs are sorely needed.
"The ladders themselves along the side of the pier, specifically the south pier, they're all in a pretty poor state in terms of visibility, it's not very clear where they are, especially if you're panicking," she says.
Council is also forming the Pier Ad-Hoc Safety Committee. The group, is tasked with reducing the hazards associated with Kincardine's waterfront. At the October 25 meeting, Councillor Rory Cavanaugh was appointed to the nine-member committee which will include two volunteer community members and six subject matter experts.
Though council passed the motion to implement changes along the pier, local water safety advocate Megan Fair says that shouldn't be seen as stepping on the committee's toes.
"This committee needs to be more forward thinking than that... I do not agree that it's taking anything away from the pier committee because safety is a continuously evolving process. It's not meant to be static. You don't do it once and it's done. I think the more times and the more opportunity we have to look at what our gaps are and fill those, there's no downside to that."
The committee will meet over the winter and bring suggestions back to council in the new year.
