Westboro Beach reopens with new café, boardwalk and river views
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Joel Kowalski is the vice president of Wilderness Tours, an outdoor tour operator known for their white water rafting and other outdoor excursions up the Ottawa Valley. Wilderness tours are now the operators of the seasonal café at Westboro Beach, among other offerings.
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In addition to serving coffee and drinks at the outdoor bar, Wilderness Tours will provide rentals for paddleboards, kayaks and beach chairs.
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Wilderness Tours will also operate a canoe tour that will launch from the beach, up the shoreline to below Deschenes rapids to the Deschenes ruins and back to the beach. There will also be a three-and-a-half lazy river tube tour that will float with the current downstream to Onigam Street.
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Kowalski says community members have been approaching Wilderness Tours as they've been 'doing the fit up' for the location, excited for what activities the operator is bringing from North of the Valley.
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'So we're thrilled,' Kowalski said. 'We're excited to be here.'
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The restaurant at the beach is currently still in development, but it will be operated by the same owners who run the Grand Pizzeria and Bar in the Byward Market. Nussbaum says the plan is to open the restaurant by Fall.
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The building designs at Westboro Beach are also all net-zero certified, equipped with a geothermal system and low-carbon building materials.
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Rick Robinson is a long-time Westboro resident living in the neighbourhood since 1982. He's seen transitions and today's transformation at the beach is 'beautiful and spectacular in some ways,' he said.
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In the past, Robinson would go down to the beach and read a book under a tree, watching beach-goers enjoy the water. Occasionally, Robinson would take a dip with the family. Now, he's anticipating doing the same thing, but in a beautified environment.
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