The Municipality of Chester is celebrating the completion of a major phase of accessibility upgrades at Wild Rose Park in Western Shore.
The improvements were unveiled during a community event attended by Deputy Warden Abdelah Asif, South Shore–St. Margaret’s MP Jessica Fancy-Landry, and Chester MLA and Speaker of the House Danielle Barkhouse, who tried out one of the new mobile beach wheelchairs.
Chester MLA Danielle Barkhouse trying out the accessible beach wheelchair. Photo: Evan Taylor.
The upgrades are part of a three-phase project aimed at making the park fully accessible to people with mobility challenges. Asif, whose district includes the park, says the initiative is helping meet the province’s goal to make all municipal properties accessible by 2030.
“We’ve made significant changes to the walkways. They’re all sidewalks now instead of crushed rock,” said Asif. “We’ve got a handicapped-accessible ramp that was built so people can access the shoreline.”
Phase 1 of the project included renovations to the park’s permanent washrooms, adding hands-free fixtures, widened doorframes, and powered adult change tables. The washroom is now one of the few municipally owned facilities on the South Shore that is fully accessible.
New washrooms at Wild Rose Park in Western Shore. Photo: Evan Taylor.
Phase 2 involved new paved walkways throughout the park, ramp access to the beach, accessible parking, and a Mobi-mat to improve beach entry.
The project received $62,437 in funding from the federal government through the Enabling Accessibility Fund. Although delays prevented some work from being completed before the funding deadline, the municipality was able to adjust the scope and continue the upgrades in phases.
Future work will extend pathways to nearby amenities like the Islandview Restaurant, replace stairs to the beach with a second accessible option, and add more picnic spaces and landscaping.
Asif said a small area remains unfinished while they wait for provincial work to be completed, but he hopes the entire park will be accessible by the end of the year.
A MOBI mat is set to be installed at Wild Rose Park in Western Shore shortly. Photo: Evan Taylor.
“This has been quite an upgrade for our area… it’s a point of pride for the municipality,” said Asif. “It’s one of the only parks in the region where this level of accessibility is being delivered.”
Wild Rose Park is located in Western Shore, near the Chester Basin area.
The upgrades are part of a broader accessibility plan by the municipality.
