There's still no timeline to reopen Point Pelee tower after it closed 17 months ago

For nearly a year and a half, a 24-metre observation tower looking out over Canada's southernmost point remains shutdown with no clear end in sight.

In May 2022, Parks Canada closed the Point Pelee National Park structure because of a safety issue involving its guard rail system following an engineering inspection.

The tower originally opened in 2019 to give visitors to the national park a bird's eye view.

Jordan Kniaziew calls the unique vantage point "breathtaking" for not just southwestern Ontario but all of Ontario and Canada.

The Leamington resident says he's fortunate to have gone to the top several times.

"It was open, and it was definitely a destination, not only being able to go to the most southern part of Canada, but also to be able to see Essex County in a way that most people had never seen it before," he said.

Kniaziew, who says he's reached out to Parks Canada and area politicians numerous times, says he's frustrated the "iconic" structure remains closed and no clear timeline provided for when it could reopen.

"When someone has a project and they don't give a timeline, that tells me that it's either not a focus or a priority or they have no intention to really get this open in the near future."

According to Kniaziew, getting the tower back open would be an "easy win" for politicians and Parks Canada and to provide a timeline as to when that might happen.

Parks Canada confirmed the potential construction issue identified in 2022 to the tower's guard rail system remains the reason why it's closed.

"Parks Canada is working towards a solution to meet the agency's high standards in visitor safety," said Julia Grcevic, Parks Canada public relations and communications officer, in an emailed statement.

"A thorough structural inspection by a third-party engineering firm is currently underway, following the Parks Canada directive for the management of pedestrian structures," she added.

The spokesperson went on to say they do plan to reopen the tower but "unfortunately" they cannot offer a timeline as they're in "ongoing discussions with relevant parties."

Grcevic says the safety of visitors is their top priority and public access to the structure will only be permitted when it's deemed safe for use.

Kniaziew says he can sense frustration from staff at Point Pelee, too, whenever he asks about the future of the observation tower.

"You can see the frustration within their answers when you would ask like, 'hey, when is the tower being reopened?' And they just really didn't have an answer."

The tower initially cost nearly $1.2 million to construct.