One month after starting a petition asking city council to reverse its decision to prohibit vehicular traffic in the popular circle at Couchiching Beach Park, the Friends of the Terry Fox Circle committee has reached their goal of garnering more than 5,000 signatures.
Committee chair Mel St. Onge says Orillia residents are all-in on supporting the committee’s efforts.
“This is our place where we can go for a drive through the park, stop and have coffee, have a picnic, and watch the lake. It’s been a tradition for many families for years,” he said of the reasoning behind the petition.
St. Onge says he’s talked to not only Orillia residents about the issue, but also people from surrounding townships, former residents, and tourists.
“People I’ve talked to from other towns say it’s the nicest park that they have ever been in, and they like that they can use the Terry Fox Circle to drive (disabled) family members in close to the lake or even just drive by to see it,” he said.
St. Onge doesn’t understand why city council is so keen on closing the circle.
“They say it’s for safety issues, but there has never been an accident in the park and there are two speed bumps there. It’s probably the safest street in Orillia when you really think about it,” he said.
About 1,250 people signed the petition through an online platform that is now closed, while about 3,750 people signed the petition in person at Wilkie’s Bakery, Town’s Jewellers, The Cone, and other locations throughout the city. Committee members often sat near the boat launch to talk to passersby and seek signatures for the petition.
St. Onge says he has met with city councillors to make his case in the hopes they will change their vote.
“I’ve met each individual councillor in the park to discuss some ideas to make it even safer, but really the petition is to just keep it open,” he said.
The committee is set to make a deputation to city council during an Oct. 25 meeting.
St. Onge encourages citizens who have any questions or comments to contact him by email, [email protected].
Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke gives props to the committee for being dedicated and passionate.
“Any time you identify something in your community that you feel strongly about, you should do something about it, and they are,” Clarke said.
Clarke says the petition will bring the issue back to the attention of city council.
“As politicians, even if one person wanted to speak about something, we need to be listening. Certainly this is something that needs to be listened to as well,” he said.
“We always need to be open-minded; we always need to be listening, and we will do that in this case.”
To reverse the decision to close the Terry Fox Circle, city councill would have to vote - by a two-thirds majority (six to three) - to bring the matter back to the council table. While it’s possible that change could be coming, Clarke is leaning toward going forward with the decision that has already been made.
“We’ve had three consultant reports by park designing professionals come to council the last 12 years or so, and each one of them has identified that vehicles in the Terry Fox circle are in conflict with pedestrians,” he explained.
“We have seen our park volume increase significantly over the years, so it’s going to create more conflict between vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.”
Clarke stressed that closing the Terry Fox Circle wouldn’t necessarily destroy the legacy of the popular park attraction.
“We are keeping the Terry Fox name and circle alive; it would just be for pedestrians mind you, but it would still be the Terry Fox Circle," he explained.
“Maybe people enjoy the circle because they have accessibility issues and they want to be able to drive into the park, eat their lunch, and watch people go by. Well, the new park design over the next few years will do that," said the mayor. "It will enhance spots near the water where people can watch the boardwalk, people go by, and the water.”
