City makes safety improvements to Windsor, Ont., beach in wake of 2 drownings
New fence standing around 2.5 metres is among the changes
The city has taken steps to make Sandpoint Beach in Windsor, Ont., safer.
A higher fence has been erected at the west-end and the volleyball court has been moved.
It stands around 2.5 metres and a portion extends to the water's edge to prevent people from walking past it.
There is new signage in place and signs in different languages are coming.
Ward 7 Coun. Angelo Marignani, who requested the changes, said the city is also trying to expedite the hiring of lifeguards to move up their start date from mid-June.
He also sits on the board of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, where he made recommendations to its beach reports.
"I requested that there would be a component, an educational component, which would talk about water safety. And that's when we can go swimming, swimming with partners, just the general rules that everyone should know," he said.
Marignani said signs warning of the dangerous currents at the mouth of the river are coming in different languages including Hindi and Spanish.
"We're going to make it very clear that if you go beyond this point, no matter what language you speak, it's dangerous, pay attention. Please, please, just don't go on that side."
Chuda Bajgai, the uncle of Yogesh Bajgai who drowned last week with friend Rohit Dheer, is happy to hear of the improvements.
"That is pretty good move," said Bajgai. "I think it is good to protect people of Windsor."
Bajgai said Yogesh's family has set up an online fundraising campaign to cover the cost of the funeral and several days of rituals practiced under the Hindu faith.
A similar online campaign has been set up for Dheer by his family.
"We are devastated by this loss and wish to send Dheer's body back to India to be with his parents," reads the statement on the page.
Thomas Vida is the corporate security manager for Southwestern Sales, an aggregate company just west of the beach.
He told CBC News their security cameras show the two men did not go into the water from their property.
However, despite already having security measures in place approved by Transport Canada, according to Vida, they will consider additional improvements to a berm separating their property from the beach.
"Should we remove the shrubbery on this berm? Should we put more jagged concrete to make it unattractive to go over," said Vida.
"We have some meetings coming up next week to see what things can be done."
Windsor's mayor calls deaths 'saddening'
The changes at the beach come days after the city's mayor said there wasn't much more that could be done to improve safety at the beach.
After a council meeting earlier this week, Drew Dilkens said the area was well-signed.
"We have taken a lot of steps to post the area where it's unsafe to swim," he said.
"At the end of the day, we can't control people who enter the water on an adjacent property, and that's what happened here," he told reporters.
Dilkens called the most recent tragedy at Sandpoint "saddening," and said over time the city will get to implementing its full plan to move the sand portion further east.
"But if people are intent on entering the water at different locations, it's a very risky endeavour."
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