Ipperwash Beach is a dump, and its not going to get any better.

Growing up on the shores of Lake Huron some of my fondest memories include days spent at the beach at what used to be a beautiful sandy stretch of coast line at Ipperwash Beach. My family has had a vacation property not far from the water for many years so I am very familiar with this stretch of beach. With clear water, no rocks to speak of, and lots of fine sandy beach to stretch out on, it used to be a great place to spend a summer day.

Sadly this is no longer the case. There is a 6' stretch of debris and sharp broken shells at the water's edge, washed up detritus that mars what then once beautiful coastline. Beyond that is a 8' band of sludge, hidden under dirty, cloudy debris filled water that you have to wade through to make your way out past this mess, to the "cleaner" water beyond. Having taken my young daughter down for a day of beach fun, I couldn't have been more disgusted. To add to my disgust, the local native band that "owns" the public beach has children handing out pamphlets stating that as of 2014 they will begin charging for both parking and walk on admission. Walk on admission at a public beach? What the fuck? The only reason some stretches of the beach were clean was because private land owners had dragged the beach with private tractors, and one of the mandates the natives propose is a total ban on private tractors on the beach...so the mess is only going to get worse.

It is infuriating to me to see what used to be a beautiful public beach degrade to such an awful cesspit through absolute neglect and a lack of care from the people trusted with its upkeep. I will soon be looking for a new beach to call home.