A Sarnia councillor wants the city to borrow the money needed to build one new continuous seawall at Bright's Grove.
A section of Old Lakeshore Road was closed earlier this month after a portion of the shoreline bank was washed away by waves, whipped up by strong northwest winds.
Councillor Margaret Bird said while stones and backfill make take care of any imminent danger, it's not a long-term solution.
"We spent almost $25 million on the hospital and Centennial Park and they weren't real emergencies," said Bird. "Yes, it may cost about $35 million-plus, to build one continuous seawall, but with the lending opportunities that have already been made known to the city, with the lowest ever interest rates, we would be foolish not to borrow and safely secure this area once and for all."
Bird said it costs more to carry out the band-aid patches than it would to pay for one continuous seawall along the affected shoreline.
Council will consider making an application to Infrastructure Ontario for the full amount needed during the 2020 budget deliberations December 3.
In the meantime, councillor Mike Stark has proposed that $2.25 million be allocated to shoreline protection annually until 2029.
His suggestion was also referred to the 2020 budget deliberations.
