The 42 trailers that make up the Bluewater Trailer Park in Kincardine are all tucked away for winter. Amongst them, Lyle Cowan’s summer trailer. “We have people there that we’ve known for 50 years. It’s like home for us,” said the Milton resident, who spends part of his summer’s in Kincardine. Next year at this time, the Bluewater Trailer Park will likely be empty. The Municipality is closing the trailer park, because a 2023 legal analysis says the park is out of compliance. The Municipality says part of the park lands were donated to the municipality in the 1880’s, strictly to be used as a public park, walkway, or garden. “As a result of that, municipal council decided to move forward with a plan to bring the park back in compliance, more clearly stated as that of public use. The seasonal long term rentals of those sites did not comply with the intent of the bequeathed,” said Municipality of Kincardine Mayor Ken Craig. The prime piece of real estate the trailer park lies on, mere metres away from Lake Huron, has been a tourist camp or trailer park for more than 100 years. In 2024, Cowan and his fellow trailer park summer tenants were given three years to vacate, which comes to a close next October. “They have no plan. They have no estimates, and they have no schedule. So, basically they’ve got the cart before the horse. They’ve closed the park, and they’re not telling the towns people how much they’re going to spend to do this. If you can reimagine this space into something else, then go ahead and do it. But, get that plan in place, and tell people in the city how much it’s going to cost. We have enough parks already that need work,” said Cowan. Kincardine was receiving approximately $33,000 in rent from Bluewater Trailer Park summer tenants each year considered well below market value by a 2023 staff report. Craig says the municipality plans to turn the Bluewater Trailer Park, into a public park, walkway, or garden in 2028 following some community consultation in 2027. “Might be a phased project, might be all at once, but it will be more in compliance with the original intent of that land. The intent of the bequeath was to have it widely available to all the residents of Kincardine,” said Craig. Cowan and his fellow Bluewater Trailer Park users are holding out that a possibly new collection of councillors, coming out of Monday’s municipal election, will determine a different future for the Bluewater Trailer Park, and it’s 42 summer tenants. “It was a surprise, but, there’s still hope. Hope to come yet,” he said.
