For Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, the drowning of a 24-year-old man at Sandpoint Beach over the May long weekend brought back traumatic memories.
In August 1996, he worked as an auxiliary officer for the Windsor Police Service and as a lifeguard for the City of Windsor. Still in university, he was called out to a possible drowning at the beach.
"I was first on the scene, and I remember, very vividly, the chaos of the situation," he said. "Units responded very quickly -- but ultimately, it took a private diver about a day or two to actually go down and find Christina Jackson."
Jackson was 14 and drowned in a restricted area beyond the ropes at Sandpoint Beach, not far from where OPP divers found the latest victim five days after he disappeared.
Dilkens told reporters gathered Tuesday the city has been considering plans to move the beach further east along the shore for years, that the council had budgeted over $1-million in its ten-year capital budget for the project.
That said, Dilkens does not want residents to worry about safety at the beach.
"I want to underscore this remains a safe place for families to swim and to cool off from the summer heat," he said. "But, we can't escape the fact that the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair are busy shipping channels, and the currents in this area are strong, and they require everyone to adhere to the safety guidelines in place."
At Monday's meeting, Ward 7 Councillor Jeewan Gill plans to introduce a motion to move up the $1.1-million to 2024.
"The first step will be to undertake a detailed environmental assessment," said Gill, explaining the study will tell the city what options it has to move the popular spot and how much it will cost.
"Nothing we can do as elected officials to bring [the victim] back," he told reporters. "We know Sandpoint Beach is a safe place to visit and swim. However, in the areas outside of the designated boundary, the tides are strong, and the water becomes deep quite quickly. In my conservations with residents, it becomes clear to me that the City of Windsor could do even more to protect residents."