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The City of Port Colborne is preparing for another year of summer fun at Nickel Beach with upgrades to parking facilities and an update to beach user fees.
Yesterday, Port Colborne City Council approved the construction and expansion of parking lots to accommodate visitors to Nickel Beach for the 2023 summer season. With 260 new parking spaces, there will be even more space for visitors to park and enjoy the beautiful sandy shores of Nickel Beach this year.
Due to a request from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), parking on the beach will not be available this year to accommodate the habitat and breeding grounds for the Fowler’s Toad, an endangered species in Ontario.
Given parking on the beach will not be available in 2023, in order to ensure local side streets are not overcrowded with visitors to the beach, the City will be encouraging local residents who plan to use street parking near their homes to display their PORTicipate pass on their windshield. Cars parked on the streets near Nickel Beach without a visible PORTicipate pass will be ticketed pending a updated parking by-law. The City is committed to ensuring local side streets are not impacted by this change to parking arrangements.
“I know many residents and visitors look forward to driving and parking on the sand at Nickel Beach,” said Port Colborne Mayor, Bill Steele. “This year will be different, but I am pleased we were able to find an alternative solution to allow residents and visitors to continue enjoying our beautiful waterfront for windsurfing, swimming, sunbathing and more this season. We’re also happy to have SplashTown Niagara back for another summer of action-packed water park fun.”
In addition to the upgrades to parking facilities, City Council also approved updates to beach user fees for 2023. This includes:
Monday to Thursday
- Reserved parking – $40 per car
- First-come first-served parking
- Free for Port Colborne residents with a PORTicipate pass
- $20 per car without a PORTicipate pass
Friday to Sunday and Holidays
- Reserved parking – $50 per car
- First-come first-served parking
- Free for Port Colborne residents with a PORTicipate pass
- $30 per car without a PORTicipate pass
Season Passes
- Seven days a week with dedicated parking – $350
- Monday – Thursday without dedicated parking space – $100
- More information about the Season Pass option will be available in the coming weeks.
There will be no gate entrance fee, pedestrians or cyclists will have free access to Nickel Beach.
Centennial-Cedar Bay Beach parking arrangements are unchanged for this year. Advanced reservations for the beach will be available, using the same process as last year, for Monday to Thursday for $20 per car and Friday to Sunday for $30 per car. Free for Port Colborne residents with a PORTicipate pass.
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