The small village community of Lumsden Beach on Last Mountain Lake is calling for a new beach to be built, separate from their own.
According to leadership, the community becomes overcrowded at certain times during the summer, namely weekends and statutory holidays, such as Canada Day.
Lumsden Beach Mayor, Ross Wilson has his own theory as to why the beach has become such a hotspot.
“Five years ago it wasn’t an issue and I think it’s because of the growing population, there are lots of new Canadians looking for a place to swim and be with their kids,” he said.
The influx of tourists causes some issues for the community.
“We run into problems on the weekends, and we’ve had times where the roads have been packed with cars and if we ever had an incident on the beach we would not be able to get an emergency vehicle in,” Lumsden Beach cottager, Charlie Koester said.
The village’s council wrote to the Saskatchewan government nearly two years ago with their concerns and a suggested solution.
“It’s a 60 km long lake, there’s lots of places where another beach could be added, just a place to be on the sand, in a swimming area that’s safe,” said Wilson.
Lumsden Beach resident Mike Mallett says the proposal for a new beach along Last Mountain Lake is a great idea and will solve the problem of overcrowding.
“We have a wonderful beach here but on those nice days it does get quite crowded, especially with vehicles, we just don’t have the parking facilities,” he said.
While Lumsden Beach council continues talks with Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation about the proposal, they still welcome visitors to come and enjoy the sun and sand.