Great Canadian Beach Thread

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Wow... those powerlines are just awful.

Burlington has long been flirting with trying to get them relocated or buried on its side of the ship channel, but it will be an expensive proposition they cannot do without help. I don't know if there are current estimates, but a news article from 10 years ago mentions up to $36 million for the underground option.

Given the length of Hamilton's side of the beach, its costs would be much larger and I'm not sure the city has ever seriously considered it, especially with more pressing needs (poor road conditions and ancient sewer pipes being two big ones). Same article notes $70 million.

Both estimates must be much, much higher today.

And Hydro One has no incentive to do anything until the towers need to be replaced.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

This is probably going to be a controversial opinion, but I think Ontario's combination of fine sand, warm water, hot summers, and sheer quantity of lakes makes it the best place for beaches in the country.

I suspect it would only be controversial among people in BC who don't know anything about Ontario

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Vancouver is the best beach city though.

Whereas this really is debatable. Surely Canada doesn't have any beach cities, because we don't have good swimming anywhere for a substantial part of the year. Sydney and Rio are beach cities. You have to go to the beach when you go there, but while New York has better beaches than any city in Canada, nobody would actually call it a "beach city." You can skip Coney Island without missing out.

In the UK the water is freezing like in Vancouver, so they don't call Blackpool or Brighton "beach towns/cities." They say "seaside" or "city by the sea." Beaches are about tanning and swimming, lots of brown flesh and splashing around. Like Cannes. British people have huts lined up along the front where they sip tea to keep warm. You're beside the sea at the seaside, but you're not in a beach town.

These distinctions are important. Like Walter Sobchak said, there are rules.

[giallo]

I think we need to think of this in a Canadian context. Otherwise, everything positive about the summer in Canada will need an asterisk.

[logan5]

The guy has a major crush on Vancouver. It’s obvious. You gotta know he has a massive stack of Vancouver magazines that he hides from his wife.

Sitting at English Bay right now and it is perfect. It’s 30 degrees, lots of people on the beach and in the water…

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by giallo

I think we need to think of this in a Canadian context. Otherwise, everything positive about the summer in Canada will need an asterisk.

Agreed. And theres no beaches where he lives so therefore there are no beaches in the whole country lol.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Whereas this really is debatable. Surely Canada doesn't have any beach cities, because we don't have good swimming anywhere for a substantial part of the year. Sydney and Rio are beach cities. You have to go to the beach when you go there, but while New York has better beaches than any city in Canada, nobody would actually call it a "beach city." You can skip Coney Island without missing out.

In the UK the water is freezing like in Vancouver, so they don't call Blackpool or Brighton "beach towns/cities." They say "seaside" or "city by the sea." Beaches are about tanning and swimming, lots of brown flesh and splashing around. Like Cannes. British people have huts lined up along the front where they sip tea to keep warm. You're beside the sea at the seaside, but you're not in a beach town.

These distinctions are important. Like Walter Sobchak said, there are rules.

Perhaps I should have said "best urban beaches" rather than best beach city to avoid any confusion with being a beach-centric place. Either way, Vancouver has the best urban beaches and is the closest to being a beach-centric place amongst Canada's large cities - they're numerous, accessible, and well-used.

Also, the water being freezing and unswimmable in Vancouver just isn't true. It varies from place to place, but many of the beaches are shallow and sheltered and get comfortably warm in the summer - the ocean is not unlike the Great Lakes in this regard. There are also a few lake beaches in Metro Van with very warm water. Winters in Vancouver are similar to the UK, but summers are hotter and drier.

[xzmattzx]

Are there any beaches of any kind in the territories with relatively warm water? Anything on the Great Slave Lake?

[Doady]

Originally Posted by logan5

Are there actually any other beach city's in Canada besides Vancouver? That being said, Vancouver is a great beach city. It is an incredibly nice experience to be able walk to the beach and watch the sun set below the North Shore mountains, then have all the amenities of a dense neighbourhood like the West End or Kits at your disposal. A uniquely Vancouver experience.

Sarnia > Vancouver

[mcminsen]

I'd like to add that Vancouver's numerous and easily accessible beaches are all-season beaches.
Great to visit on a sunny winter day, cold and cloudy day or even in the middle of a windstorm.

I spend way more time at the beach in the winter. Just dress for it and go.
Most of them are quick and easy to get to. A short walk or bus trip.





Kits Beach, Vancouver, March 18 '23, my pic


Kits Beach, Vancouver, Feb.1 '23, my pic


English Bay Beach, Vancouver, Jan.11 '23, my pic


Kits Beach, Vancouver, March 18 '23, my pic


Kits Beach, Vancouver, March 18 '23, my pic


Sunset Beach, Vancouver, March 18 '23, my pic


English Bay Beach, Vancouver, Jan.20 '23, my pic

[Denscity]

Great point McMinsen. People from way east of here won’t like those non summer yet still busy beach photos.

[Pellimo]

Le Promenade Samuel-de-Champlain in Quebec City.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Great point McMinsen. People from way east of here won’t like those non summer yet still busy beach photos.

It really can't be stated strongly enough that a lot of Canadians enjoy cold weather, and are not at all envious of Vancouver's faux winters.

[MonctonRad]

I would posit that the only true beach town in Atlantic Canada is Shediac NB.

There are several beaches in the Shediac/Cap Pele strip, including Parlee Beach and Plage Aboiteau, both of which have large change houses, beach front bars, large parking areas, and, in the case of Plage Aboiteau, a large camping area. There is an entertainment pier close to Parlee Beach (Pointe-du-Chene Wharf), Shediac is an actual town with a population of over 6,000 people, and East Main Street is an actual strip with lots of restaurants, tourist traps and souvenir shops, and, there are beachfront homes, especially along the Bluff overlooking Parlee Beach.

Shediac is about as close as it comes in Atlantic Canada when comparing to New England beach towns.

I will be the first to admit that there are other better beaches in Atlantic Canada when it comes to pure aesthetics, but these beaches are either more remote, located within national parks, or are cold Atlantic facing beaches. In terms of beach town ambience, Shediac however comes out on top.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by logan5

Are there actually any other beach city's in Canada besides Vancouver?

Toronto has several public beaches.

Bluffers Beach
Scarborough Bluff:West View by b.m.a.n., on Flickr

Centre Island Beach
Centre Island Beach by Ronald, on Flickr

Cherry Beach
Cherry Beach Park by Jeff Hitchcock, on Flickr

Cazsimir Gzowski Park Beach
Sir Casimir Gzowski Park / Sunnyside Beach by A Great Capture, on Flickr

Gibraltar Point Beach
IMG_0856 by Andy Nystrom, on Flickr

Hanlan's Point Beach
Hanlan's.Point.Beach.original.24509 by Angel Sung, on Flickr

H2O Park (kind of a beach)
spring waterfront by Lú_, on Flickr

Kew-Balmy Beach
All in a row by A Great Capture, on Flickr

Marie Curtis Park East Beach
Wavy Day at the Beach by A Great Capture, on Flickr

new Gibraltar Beach (no Official name yet, located between Hanlan's Beach and Gibraltar beaches.
Scale - New Beach Between Hanlan's Point and Gibraltar Point Beaches by A Great Capture, on Flickr


Sugar Beach (kind of a beach)
Sugar Beach in the sun by Paul Henman, on Flickr

Sunnyside Beach
Sunnyside Beach by Can Pac Swire, on Flickr

Ward's Island Beach
IMG_3558 by Andy Nystrom, on Flickr

Woodbine Beach
Woodbine Beach Toronto by Scott Rogers, on Flickr

[theman23]

How often do people in Vancouver actually go to the beach? I suspect the view on this forum is skewed by posters who live in close proximity to downtown or the west side, but from the experience of my own social circle the beach is mostly an after thought. I don't think accessibility is that great for anyone living east of say Commercial drive. The biggest difference between Vancouver and other beach cities (outside from the weather) is that Vancouver's coast line amenable to beach use is actually pretty tiny. The lower mainland's coast is pretty rocky as you go up north and marshy as you go south, so most of the population growth has occurred towards the east away from the coast.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by theman23

How often do people in Vancouver actually go to the beach? I suspect the view on this forum is skewed by posters who live in close proximity to downtown or the west side, but from the experience of my own social circle the beach is mostly an after thought. I don't think accessibility is that great for anyone living east of say Commercial drive. The biggest difference between Vancouver and other beach cities (outside from the weather) is that Vancouver's coast line amenable to beach use is actually pretty tiny. The lower mainland's coast is pretty rocky as you go up north and marshy as you go south, so most of the population growth has occurred towards the east away from the coast.

I find the SSP discussion around this is about on par with the housing debate. I like going to the beaches around here and have already gone a bunch this season. I like them more if it's not too warm; I find if I go when it's 30 (like today; there is no way these days the real "normal" high in Vancouver is 21 in the height of summer) it gets too hot after a couple hours.

I have a car but a lot of people I know don't and on top of that a lot of them are on bus routes in places like Burnaby or Surrey and going downtown is a 60-90 minute proposition while the West Side is farther. Most of the inner city beaches get pretty crowded and I prefer one with more space and quiet.

I've lived in NS, BC, and ON, and I find the summer options to nice in all 3 and they each have their unique pluses and minuses. In Ontario a lot of people head north to cottage country rather than to the muggiest possible location. NS is tops for accessibility, and a lot of places people there complain about not being easy to get to are easier than going across 1/3 of metro Vancouver or the GTA.

[WarrenC12]

I'm in Vancouver very close to the seawall, but not the beach necessarily. We're at the seawall multiple times per week. The beach probably a couple of times a month. It's more about hanging around in a park near the water IMO.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I would posit that the only true beach town in Atlantic Canada is Shediac NB.

There are several beaches in the Shediac/Cap Pele strip, including Parlee Beach and Plage Aboiteau, both of which have large change houses, beach front bars, large parking areas, and, in the case of Plage Aboiteau, a large camping area. There is an entertainment pier close to Parlee Beach (Pointe-du-Chene Wharf), Shediac is an actual town with a population of over 6,000 people, and East Main Street is an actual strip with lots of restaurants, tourist traps and souvenir shops, and, there are beachfront homes, especially along the Bluff overlooking Parlee Beach.

Shediac is about as close as it comes in Atlantic Canada when comparing to New England beach towns.

I will be the first to admit that there are other better beaches in Atlantic Canada when it comes to pure aesthetics, but these beaches are either more remote, located within national parks, or are cold Atlantic facing beaches. In terms of beach town ambience, Shediac however comes out on top.

Cavendish has a really nice beach. The town is just a tad too far to make it a proper beach town though.

[mcminsen]

The beaches around Tofino on a nice day in March.

Not easily accessible (plane ride or long drive across Vancouver Island), but definitely worth the effort.

Click on the links to see current conditions and views.






Pacific Sands HD Beach Cam, Long Beach, Tofino, BC, March 7 '23

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2HGBY2v-wo



Long Beach Lodge Live Cam, Long Beach, Tofino, BC, March 17 '23

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84dLnpdqC_U

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Perhaps I should have said "best urban beaches" rather than best beach city to avoid any confusion with being a beach-centric place. Either way, Vancouver has the best urban beaches and is the closest to being a beach-centric place amongst Canada's large cities - they're numerous, accessible, and well-used.

Also, the water being freezing and unswimmable in Vancouver just isn't true. It varies from place to place, but many of the beaches are shallow and sheltered and get comfortably warm in the summer - the ocean is not unlike the Great Lakes in this regard. There are also a few lake beaches in Metro Van with very warm water. Winters in Vancouver are similar to the UK, but summers are hotter and drier.

Well what do you know, you're just a ignorant Vancouverite who has no knowledge of Ontario.

All kidding aside there are some great beaches in Ontario, some great beaches in BC, and many other great beaches in other provinces. Lots offer different pros and cons that work for various people with various preferences. We all know Rousseau's only preference is anything in Ontario (I'm sure he feels Ontario's mountains are vastly superior to those out west too), but for the rest of us with a nuanced understanding of this vast country I'm sure we can realize that things are often a lot more complex than they seem.