Beach safety sign to be installed at Station Beach, Kincardine, this summer

Kincardine council has given the green light to a beach safety sign to be installed at Station Beach, Kincardine, this summer.

The sign is the culmination of the Smart Beach program that began three years ago, led by Dr. Chris Houser of the University of Waterloo, and initially funded by the Municipal Innovation Council.

At the Kincardine council meeting Wednesday night (Feb. 25), community services director Luke Bedard presented a report, requesting council approve a one-year agreement with SwimSmart Technology LLC and the University of Waterloo for the deployment of a third-party model as part of the university research project funded by MITACS (a federal funding agency).

In addition, council was asked to approve an amendment to the 2026 budget for the purchase of a solar-powered FlashBoard, at an estimated cost of $20,577, to be funded from the contingency reserve which currently includes $24,750 in surplus funds returned to the municipality from the dissolution of the Municipal Innovation Council.

Bedard noted that beyond the initial cost of the FlashBoard, should the municipality continue operating the sign, there would be an annual SwimSmart subscription fee ($850 in 2026) and a possible fee for the university's model.

The Smart Beach program in Kincardine began in 2022, with the goal of developing, implementing and testing an integrated sensor network to provide a real-time and locally-calibrated risk and hazard warning system for beach-users and local authorities, guiding the behaviour of beach-users through a dynamic warning system.

The project is a data and information signal system, with coloured lights identifying the conditions of the beach/water in real time. The new sign would be like a traffic light, indicating to swimmers that red means high risk, yellow means medium risk, and green means low risk.

Bedard said the dynamic warning system is intended to be operational May 1, coinciding with the start of the swim season, and will cease operation Sept. 30, marking the end of the swim season.

He stressed that this warning light system will not eliminate the risk of drowning or near-drownings at Station Beach, Kincardine.

"Users may not adhere to the warning system in adverse conditions, and calm waters do not guarantee safe swimming," he stated, in his report. "Factors beyond water conditions, such as a swimmer’s ability, use of flotation devices, water temperatures and access to rescue services, impact water safety. The implementation of this project is a step toward a safer waterfront within the municipality and must be used in conjunction with other safety measures."

Jacob Soter, managing director of SwimSmart, told council that the sign works off information from the wave action about 200 metres off shore, as supplied by the university's model.

"It tells you whether you have a happy sea or an angry sea," he said, "and you convey that to the public."

Councillor Bill Stewart asked the municipal solicitor, Paula Lombardi, about the liability for the municipality with this project.

"It's like having a pool that's not lifeguarded," said Lombardi. "If you pursue this, my recommendation is to post a disclaimer under the light stating this is a guideline and that the Municipality of Kincardine is not taking liability if you choose to swim."

"Are we going to put our disclaimer on that sign?" asked mayor Kenneth Craig.

"I would leverage Paula (Lombardi)'s legal advice," said Bedard.

Lombardi also advised that the municipality include that disclaimer wherever the information is shared, including the Kincardine website and social media.



An example of a SwimSmart sign, similar to what would be installed at Station Beach, Kincardine

Soter told council this warning system is the first of its kind in Canada, with a Canadian university developing the wave action model to go with it.

Stewart asked who would be responsible for conducting the survey about the new system over the summer, and checking the accuracy of the sign on a regular basis, and what is the additional cost for that.

Bedard said the university is administering the survey, through a QR code on the sign, but he could also assign a couple of summer students to assist with that.

As to the sign, he said if there were a malfunction, Kincardine's community emergency management co-ordinator, Shane Watson, would be responsible for that and would have a manual over-ride to turn it off until someone from SwimSmart could arrive to fix it.

Councillor Stellina Williams asked if the dynamic warning systems that SwimSmart has installed, change the behaviour of beach-users.

Soter said that in the communities where signs have been installed, people now look for that information before deciding to go to the beach.

Council approved the one-year agreement, and the new sign at Station Beach this summer.