City kayak docks to be pulled out for the winter

Public response to the kayak docks installed this summer has been very positive, says Tourism SSM Travis Anderson.

They will be pulled out for the winter around Thanksgiving weekend but will be going back in the water for public use come springtime.

Anderson isn't sure when they will be reinstalled as the timing is highly dependent on the weather and how soon the ice breaks up.

Likely sometime in May, he said.

"We've seen exceptional use of the river this summer," Anderson said. "Between the boat tours, the Waterfront Resource Centre and our new docks we've seen a lot more activity this year compared to years past."

So the city will definitely be returning its kayak and canoe docks to the river in the spring.

As things stand, they will probably be returned to the locations they are currently occupying but the city might take another look at that before they go back in the water in the spring.

"We will continue to monitor usage and feedback," Anderson said. "Maybe later we will look at more docks."

As reported earlier by SooToday, the first dock went in the water at the Bellevue Marina located at the bottom of Pine Street in mid-June.

A second dock went in at the Roberta Bondar Transient Marina in Roberta Bondar Park later this summer.

People can still use the dock at the Bellevue Marina until they are pulled out but the dock at the Bondar Marina dock can only be accessed when the marina is open. 

"Due to the fact that there is fuel accessible, we have to adhere to fuel safety protocols so access to the dock is limited to operating hours," Anderson told SooToday. "The marina closed for the season on Sept. 6, so access to the docks is currently unavailable."