After years of debate about its future and controversy about the plan, the aging Terry Fox Circle will be repaved and upgraded next fall.
City council approved $540,000 to repave and slightly shift the Couchiching Beach Park roadway during 2025 budget deliberations; the project will also involve relocating two memorial trees and installing a barrier between the updated circle and the waterfront trail.
In order to avoid disruptions to summer waterfront events, the project will begin following the Labour Day weekend next year, with Terry Fox Circle and the pavilion in the circle scheduled to be closed throughout the project.
The circle’s upgrades follow extensive discussion and debate about its future, which included previous plans to alter the roadway in a smaller configuration, and a subsequent citizen-led petition — garnering over 6,000 signatures — to keep the circle the way it is.
Debate continued on the project earlier this year, with some members of council raising safety concerns about the circle — given the roadway’s location inside the park — and Coun. David Campbell suggesting the city would have blood on its hands if a collision took place.
Despite these concerns, council ultimately supported the idea and gave it final approval during budget deliberations earlier this year.
Mayor Don McIsaac has been a proponent of repaving the current circle since council discussed the project earlier this year.
“I want all people to have access to the park — a number of seniors will drive through the park … and that’s their access,” McIsaac told OrilliaMatters.
Regarding safety concerns about vehicles in the park, McIsaac stressed there have not been any pedestrian collisions tied to Terry Fox Circle.
“We've looked back, in the last 100 years, we couldn't find a single incident or accident,” he said. “Safety is always a concern, and we have low speed limits … there's speed bumps, there's crosswalks, there's a barrier, there's enough stuff to keep people safe, and we look forward to after Labour Day next year having the park refurbished and open to the public.”
