Blue Flag certification helps Aboiteau Beach break attendance records

Beachgoers in southeastern New Brunswick are heading in record numbers to Aboiteau Beach in Cap Pel.

So far, almost 40,000 visitors have come to the beach,about 20 kilometres east of Shediacand the better-known ParleeBeach.

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"That's an increase of about 20 per cent from last summer," says Liliane LeBlanc, the recreation director with the Village of Cap Pel.

"We've seen these increases from 2016. Big increases every summer. If we compare 2016 with 2015,[attendance] doubled. That's where the increase started."

Blue Flag helps

Aboiteauhasn't suffered fallout from water-quality concerns at ParleeBeach, which saw a drop in attendance last year of 25 per cent. The Department of Tourism was unable to provide statistics about attendance at Parlee Beach so far this year.

LeBlanc thinks one of the reasons for the higher numbers AboiteauBeach is the Blue Flag designation the beach received on June 17.

My kids wouldn't go to a beach they couldn't swim in.- Tia Richard, beachgoer

Aboiteau is the first saltwater beach in Canada to receive the international designation, which tells visitors that the beach is safe and that water quality meets strict criteria.

"When we started working on Blue Flag certification, we had to upgrade our facilities and services and monitoring water quality," she said.

"We recently built a ramp for accessibility. We did a lot of promotion. We go to tourism shows every winter."

LeBlanc saidstaff take five water samples every Monday, and those samples are sent to Fredericton for testing.

"We've had excellent results so far. The results have been great and very consistent," she said. "We've never had to close. The water has been great since we started testing in 2016."

Consistent water quality a factor

Donna Elsonof Riverview has been coming to Aboiteau Beach for several yearsattracted mainly bythe water quality.

"It's a major issue, for sure,and I trust the water is good. The quality is good. It's clean and we're in it several times a day."

Tia Richard also made the trek from Sackville to Cap Pel because of the water-quality results.

"We used to go to Parlee Beach actually," Richard said. "After we found out we weren't able to swim there, we started coming here, just because my kids wouldn't go to a beach they couldn't swim in it's a lot nicer in a lot of ways."

With thesignificant increase in attendance at Aboiteau Beach, LeBlanc said,additional staff have been added to keep day-to-day operations running smoothly. Some other changes were also made.

"We installed more portable toilets along the beach and the restaurant is very busy. All in all, our staff was used to accommodating people."

LeBlanc saidshe expects next year Aboiteau will seebig crowds again.

"Every year the weather is a big factor too," she said. "This summer has been incredible for everybody in southeastern New Brunswick."