Tara Jeffrey
Dale Mosley wants to make sure Canatara beach is enjoyed by as many people as possible.
“Everybody should be able to use the beach, no matter their ability,” said the city’s accessibility coordinator, who’s trying to spread the word about a seldom-used wheelchair that’s been available the past three years.
“We need to let the public know that we’ve got this excellent service, that allows access to our beautiful beach.”
The sand-friendly chair’s unique features include two over-sized rubber tires that allow it to travel easily across the beach, and even, Mosley noted, into the water. It also comes with a cup holder and umbrella.
“It has to be pushed; so users must have someone there with them to help get down to the beach,” he said.
Having the chair contributes to Canatara’s “Blue Flag” designation, which means it meets the coveted international standard for water quality, management and safety.
Canatara also offers accessible beach matting for anyone using wheelchairs, walkers and strollers.
Last month, Mosley decided to post a photo of the wheelchair, along with a brief description, to the City of Sarnia Facebook page -- in hopes to drum up some attention. The post quickly gained traction, and has since been shared nearly 500 times.
“As far as the ‘power of social media’ goes, that post was the biggest story the city has sent out,” he said. “The amount of shares and positive feedback was amazing.”
Since then, inquiries about the chair have gone up, he noted, but so far this summer, it has only been used once.
Anyone looking to use the wheelchair can access it at the Lifeguard area, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, for the rest of the month.