Burlington Canal Piers will reopen to public next spring

Port authority set to take over operation

Transport Canada is transferring management of the Burlington Canal Piers to the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) and that will eventually mean more access for local residents.

The transfer, which will officially take place on Saturday, was announced during a presentation at the south pier on Tuesday.

“Over the last few months, we’ve been having discussions with local communities, local mayors, local MPPs who have been advocating to make sure we find a way moving forward to ensure that the utilities of these piers remain open to local communities,” said Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.

“They are incredibly meaningful to local communities for all kinds of purposes.”

The piers are presently owned by the federal government and over the years have become an important part of the Burlington and Hamilton communities with residents visiting them to walk, fish and watch ships sail through.

This enjoyment of the piers was hindered during the winter when safety concerns related to wear and tear resulted in the federal government installing gates to restrict public access.

HOPA president and CEO Ian Hamilton noted the piers are expected to cost “a couple million dollars” to rehabilitate.

“We know that you love the piers very, very much. We also think they can be better than they are right now,” said Hamilton.

“Today’s announcement means that HOPA will take local responsibility of these structures for their transportation purposes and it gives us the ability to lease them to the municipalities for recreational purposes. We’ve already begun talking to the cities of Hamilton and Burlington and the Region of Halton and we believe we all want the same thing.”

Hamilton went on to say he was pleased the municipalities have expressed interest in leasing the piers for $1.

He called on the public to be patient, noting work needs to be done to address safety concerns.

He said the piers are currently scheduled to reopen to the public in the spring of next year.