If you’ve been to Harmony Beach this summer, you’ll have noticed something missing. Public toilets. GFL had some Porta Potties on site this summer while volunteers did a beach cleanup, but they were removed after the cleanup was complete. The original public toilets were demolished in autumn 2021. “There have been restrooms here since the 1960s. Now people get up here and see they’re gone,” said Jeff Beaumont, a concerned Harmony Beach resident. “He was in a miserable state.” While it made sense to tear down the old toilets, Beaumont and other local residents are concerned that the Department of Natural Resources and Forestry has not taken action to replace them with newer public bathrooms. The obvious question is: Where can Harmony visitors go? “This summer it started and some of the neighbors were calling Algoma Public Health complaining about people defecating in their front yard,” Beaumont said. “They came back saying their job is to test the water. So I told the neighbors: “Let’s call the MNRF.” “ A logical choice given that there is MNRF marking on the Harmony. “Basically they said it sounds like a public health issue. I have written a letter to the MPP explaining what the issue is. There are hundreds of people here using the beach and there are no bathrooms … it’s kind of crazy,” Beaumont said. “The government is basically saying we don’t take any responsibility for this anymore.” Beaumont received a response from the MNRF, stating: “The waste located at Harmony Beach was decommissioned in the fall of 2021. This involved pumping out the waste, demolishing the structures, dumping the waste and backfilling the site with clean fill.” “The decision to decommission the structures was made because maintenance of the waste had become too expensive and intensive to continue. In addition to the cost of routine maintenance, cases of vandalism and misuse (eg littering the outlet tanks) had increased the amount of resources required to maintain the site.’ “The majority of beaches on Crown lands do not have cottages/shelters located on site and that maintaining public beach privileges is not part of the MNRF’s core business.” “It’s not common sense,” Beaumont said, speaking to SooToday. He says the province is abandoning a necessary public health measure — and jeopardizing recreation and tourism — for the sake of saving money. “How long will it take for all this human waste hidden in the forest to create a water situation and the beach will be closed?” asked “I’ve met tourists from Switzerland, Germany, Australia and there are all kinds of people who come through here because this is the Trans-Canada Corridor,” Beaumont continued. “People may be on their way from Newfoundland to B.C. is the first beach on Lake Superior. It’s a great place to stop, but it won’t be because the toilets are gone. It’s definitely an issue not just for the people here but for anyone who comes here to enjoy the day.” “There is no intention to put toilets here. It’s a definite no. Beaumont said Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha has informed local residents that he will raise the issue with the legislature. Beaumont said he wants to hand out flyers to beachgoers, gathering information and assuring them that an effort will be made to deal with the problem. Cathy Phillips, owner of Harmony Beach Lakeview Resort on Harmony Beach Road, has already had a rough time. Her restaurant was closed by the impact of COVID-19 in 2020. She hasn’t decided whether to reopen the restaurant, but she has a trailer park and some rooms for rent in her building. Now that there are no toilets on the beach, Phillips has an additional problem to deal with. “People are walking around the building, knocking on my back door wanting to use the bathroom,” Phillips said. “I completely understand why the government closed the public toilets, but now I’m unhappy because there’s nowhere for them to go and I can’t let people in here with the restaurant closed.” “The people at my trailer park were very nice. Some of them let people use their toilets.” Beaumont is urging concerned citizens to email or write a letter to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, which was copied to Premier Doug Ford and MPP Mantha’s constituency office. “We need to raise the profile on this,” he said. “It can’t be just me and Cathy complaining. We need to have more people speak up about this and say this is not acceptable. Something has to be done”.
