Friend of Shakespearean Gardens wants review of decision to dismantle iconic bridge

Reg White, a member of the informal Friends of the Shakespearean Gardens group, stands in front of the iconic bridge to the island. It is slated to be removed due to deterioration and non-compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, as announced to council on June 11.

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Although the fate of the iconic wooden footbridge connecting the Shakespearean Gardens to a small island in the Avon River has been decided, one concerned resident would like a new future for the bridge.

Reg White is a member of the Friends of Shakespearean Gardens, an informal group of citizens that volunteer to support the gardens – either by picking up garbage, creating information leaflets or by advocating on the garden’s behalf. He told the Times that when the decision was announced that the bridge would be demolished and not replaced at a council meeting on June 11, he and the other members were surprised. As he said, the bridge is an integral part of the gardens.

“We've seen hundreds and hundreds of kids enjoying that island, and it's a shame to think that a Stratford asset like that is being dismissed as not important,” White said. “… To think, that island is sitting there, and it looks like the devil. There’s nobody doing anything over there.”

In a management report dated May 28 and presented at the meeting in June, council was informed that the bridge was closed in July 2024 due to safety concerns and that the board of park management did not support the bridge’s reconstruction, rather that the island would be naturalized and memorial benches relocated.

In addition to the state of the bridge and its cost, it isn’t barrier-free accessible, nor compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), a provincial law stating that all public assets must be made accessible by January 2025 (a deadline which was not met across the province). If the bridge would be replaced, the terrain surrounding it would have to be changed and the overall design would be completely different. The original arched shape would be impossible, if it is to be AODA compliant.

In the May management report, city staff estimate the cost to replace the bridge would be $100,000, though White said his group was informed the cost would be double that, $200,000.

Regardless, White said that such a cost to just replace the footbridge seems high. Additionally, given the bridge’s historical value, he believes it could get an exemption from the AODA.

Moving forward, White is hoping for a review of the decision. As he said, not only is the garden important to the city, but it is also important to the nation. The garden has no other contemporary in Canada, he claimed – while there is another Shakespearean garden in British Columbia, it doesn’t compare to the breadth and heritage that the garden in Stratford has.