The Dock Was Rickety Once, and Now It Welcomes

There are places in a city where the water meets the land, and for most of us, that meeting is simple—step in, push off, glide away. But for those whose bodies move differently, the threshold between shore and lake can become a wall. This week in Thunder Bay, that wall came down.

A new accessible boat launch opened Thursday at Boulevard Lake, in front of the Thunder Bay Paddlesport Club boathouse. The project replaced what club president Saira VanderWees described as a "rickety ramp that wasn't stable, so no one could really use it." Now there are two gangways: one for the club's dragon boat, and a second for the general public—a kayak launch with its own gangway and cradle system that allows paddlers to enter the water without getting wet .

For Samantha Zrobin, chair of the city's accessibility advisory committee, the opening carried a weight that words struggled to hold. "I'm so excited and so enthusiastic to be able to just be so free, to take a Sunday afternoon to just go by myself into the water and explore the water again," she said. Before a 2016 accident, Zrobin was an avid canoeist and kayaker who taught both adults and children. The new dock, she said, brings that part of her life back .

The project was funded in part by $57,936 from the Ontario government through the Enhancing Access to Spaces for Everyone Grant. The funding covered new floating docks, gangways, an accessible canoe and kayak launch, and an improved path of travel . Werner Schwar, the city's supervisor of parks and open space planning, explained that the installation took months—first building the cribs, then ordering and crane-installing the gangways and docks .

The launch adds to Boulevard Lake's existing accessibility features, including the Jumpstart accessible playground, an adult fitness area, and beach volleyball with adjustable nets for sitting play. VanderWees said the club has already been helping people use the new system. "Anyone can come down and we'll help them in the water and they can canoe, they can kayak, they can paddle board, and they can fish off the docks" .

For a city that defines itself in part by its relationship to the water, the new launch is a small but meaningful expansion of who gets to belong to that relationship. The lake remains the same. The shore has changed.

AI Image Disclaimer: The accompanying visual is AI-generated and does not depict the actual boat launch or individuals mentioned.

Sources: TBNewsWatch, MPP Kevin Holland Newsroom