All beaches open in Windsor-Essex
All beaches in the region are open after the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit indicated new tests deemed them safe for swimming Friday.
Tests done earlier in the week had indicated high levels of bacteria, prompting officials to close West Belle River Beach, Mettawas Beach in Kingsville and Sandpoint Beach in Windsor.
WECHU tweeted an update on Friday afternoon, saying the results from more testing came back and closing the beaches was no longer necessary.
Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain says the levels seen earlier in the week were surprising.
“I think those counts that we’ve received were one of the highest we’ve ever had on the beach here,” he says.
Bain tells CTV News he would have been disappointed if the beach remained closed through the weekend noting West Beach has become a popular summer destination.
“It’s just packed with people who are out and they’re in the water and they’re enjoying it,” he says.
The health unit says the bacterial counts reflect the conditions at the time of sampling, which is done every Monday. Weather conditions and lake levels can change the conditions.
“What we’re looking at is lower than 200 is the magic number but anything above 200 would be posted as precautionary,” says health unit CEO Theresa Marentette.
WECHU did not test area beaches in 2020 due to increased pandemic response needs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.