Concerns raised over man-made island in the Grand River
An island has appeared in the middle of the Grand River but it’s not a natural formation.
Residents who live along the water in Galt say the man-made structure has been growing for weeks.
They’ve seen at least two people gathering rocks from the banks of the Grand River, wade through the water and stack them up in a pile.
The mound is big enough that someone has also added a wagon and Canadian flag on top.
One resident told CTV News she first spotted the man-made island about three weeks ago and has seen bonfires there. She also shared video of two people stacking stones.
The man-made island (left) and video stills of two people seen stacking stones in the Grand River. (Submitted)
The woman thinks the island should be disassembled.
She worries that it would set a dangerous precedent.
“Grown men out there, doing something that’s needless, silly and dangerous,” she said. “I don’t want my tax dollars spent saving somebody who’s out there doing a foolish act and then they slip and fall and are taken down the river. If kids see that little island over there, who’s to say they won’t try to get across.”
The woman said she’s already contacted Waterloo Regional Police and was told that they are working with the Grand River Conservation Authority to resolve the situation.
CTV News also reached out to police but they did not respond by our deadline.
The GRCA, in an email statement to CTV News Wednesday morning, said: "The GRCA is aware of the small rock island being built and have been in contact with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, the City of Cambridge, as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources Aylmer District Office. We continue to keep an eye on the small artificial island as part of our routine dam inspections and as part of our flood management role; however, in this specific instance, the GRCA does not own that section of the riverbed."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP alleges Indian officials in Canada connected to extortion, homicides
The RCMP is alleging Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada engaged in clandestine activities linked to serious criminal activity in this country, including homicides and extortions.
Ontario police say 'escalating incidents' between high schools connected to deadly crash
'Escalating incidents' between two Hamilton high schools are believed to be connected to a car crash last week that left a 15-year-old boy dead, police say.
Father of 10-year-old girl found dead in the U.K. called police from Pakistan to say he killed her
The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in England fled to Pakistan and called U.K. police from there to say he had killed her, a jury heard Monday.
'We apologize to anyone we've offended': Bath and Body Works pulls candles over backlash
A major American retailer has stopped selling its new winter-themed candle over backlash from shoppers who said its design resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods.
Undercooked bear meat linked to outbreak of rare parasitic disease in U.S.
An outbreak of a rare parasitic disease has been linked to undercooked bear meat eaten by dozens of people at a gathering in North Carolina, a new U.S. CDC report has revealed.
Alberta government proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar energy
The Alberta government is proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar farms that conservationists think are more about limiting renewable energy than protecting the environment.
Airbnb guests east of Toronto steal quarter of a million dollars worth of jewelry: police
Four guests at an Airbnb east of Toronto made off with a quarter of million dollars worth of jewelry following their stay, police say.
Striking images show rare floods in the largest hot desert on Earth
Striking images from the Sahara Desert show large lakes etched into rolling sand dunes after one of the most arid, barren places in the world was hit with its first floods in decades.
Woman killed by malfunctioning ottoman bed
A 39-year-old British woman was killed when a malfunctioning ottoman bed fell on her neck and asphyxiated her, a coroner’s report said.