The City of Pickering yesterday announced its two two proposals to purchase Frenchman’s Bay and related land holdings from the Pickering Harbour Company, were ultimately rejected by the seller.
A city statement explained that with the hope of returning Frenchman’s Bay to the public realm, the city attempted to purchase 174.7 acres of Pickering Harbour Company’s water and land holdings at the foot of Liverpool Road. When this was rejected, the city submitted a second unsuccessful proposal to acquire only the bay itself (the submerged real estate).
“The city felt it was critically important to own these assets in order to safeguard from aggressive and overly ambitious development proposals; maintain public access and recreational use; and enhance environmental stewardship of the bay and surrounding lands. Despite this most recent setback, the city will continue to seek opportunities to return this treasured asset back into public ownership,” the statement said.
“We are extremely disappointed that we were unsuccessful in our bid to acquire Frenchman’s Bay at this time, because we feel that it belongs in the public realm,” said Mayor Kevin Ashe. “Frenchman’s Bay is our shimmering jewel, and regardless of its ownership, we will continue to do what we can to protect this beloved asset from environmental degradation as well as inappropriate development, while also ensuring that it remains open and accessible for our community’s enjoyment.”