By Mike Anderson
By any standard, the Town’s response to flooding at Paradise Beach, one of the hardest hit areas in Georgina, has been impressive.
The flooding, which began on April 16 and continued through the weekend, was the result of heavy rain, snowmelt, and high lake levels, mainly affecting the low-lying area between Lagoon Drive and Paradise Drive, along Lake Drive East.
According to Mike Vos, the Town’s director of operations, a combination of Road staff, Emergency Services, and Water and Parks staff worked around the clock in adverse conditions to pump out water and install water barriers.
Mary Margaret Thorburn, who has lived on Lagoon Drive for 27 years, says she has never seen flooding this bad. She says the water came up the street, covered her lawn and poured into her crawlspace. At one point, the water was too high for her to drive her car.
“I went out on Friday, through the standing water and pumped my brakes to make sure I still had them. But on Saturday, it was so high I didn’t even attempt to get out.” Thorburn said.
By Sunday morning, Town crews had pumped out most of the water, leaving her driveway dry. However, early Monday morning, all their work was undone by a north wind pushing waves onto the road.
“When my neighbour and I went out Monday morning to take pictures, we couldn’t believe how much it had risen,” she said. “The waves were so violent that they were throwing everything onto the lawn. There was even a fish swimming in the driveway.’
Town crews doubled down, installing additional water barriers, forming a perimeter around the residences, and pumping out lake water into drainage ditches that flow back into the lake. They also installed concrete highway barriers along the shoreline to serve as a breakwater.
“I’ve just been really impressed with the way the Town stepped up. There has been somebody here 24 hours a day. They had yellow dams up to the end of my neighbour’s driveway. And, on Monday morning, they put the rest of them out. I’m not in a position to be filling sandbags, so I feel well looked after,” Thorburn said.
Ted and Frayda Rotenberg, Thorburn’s neighbours, whose Lake Drive cottage is bordered on the west by the lagoon, were also flooded.
“I had to put in a new sump pump because my old sump pump died. We’ve had water in the crawl space. I filled nine shop vacs yesterday and just dumped them out the door because I had no place to put the water. But I’m just too old to do that. So, I stopped,” Frayda said.
Like Thorburn, the Rotenbergs don’t anticipate filing an insurance claim. However, they believe the clean-up will take time, and are worried they may be on the hook for it.
“The dead fish I will get rid of. But there’s junk all the way down Lagoon Drive. Sand, driftwood, branches, bull rushes, everything that got thrown from the lake,” she said.
Frayda, whose family cottage dates back 75 years, says this year’s flooding is the worst she has seen since the 1960s; however, she says flooding in this low-lying area is a regular occurrence.
“When the water level is high, and it’s really rough, the water comes over the road,” she said.
While the Rotenbergs also praise the Town’s efforts, they would like to see it commit to a permanent solution, raising the section of Lake Drive in front of their cottage, and re-grading local ditches to improve drainage.
According to the Rotenbergs, the Town considered raising the road when it installed a sewer line 20 years ago. However, it was deemed too costly, and the road height was only slightly increased. Ted believes it’s in the Town’s best interest to find a permanent solution, as continual flooding will erode the road and potentially damage the buried infrastructure.
“What they can do for homeowners is helpful, but their primary responsibility is to protect the road and to protect it, they have to raise it,” he said.
“Because eventually water can penetrate anything given enough time. And you have sewer and water lines sitting in an embedded structure underneath that. And, if it’s destabilized by too much water, there’ll be a massive problem. So, I think they have to control the surges that come up periodically to protect not just their above-ground road, but what’s underneath as well.”
Vos acknowledges that the option of raising the road has been discussed in the past. However, he points out that it would not protect the surrounding properties, and there is no budget allocation for such a project.
“It is important to note that a raised road will only limit road flooding, and not the private properties adjacent to the Lake, especially due to the Lagoon, which operates at the same level as the main lake,” Vos said.
“We have no budget or plan within the current 10-year capital plan, although naturally, through an event like this, these conversations are ongoing. Importantly, this is not the only area of concern with respect to road elevation in Georgina.”
Ward 3 Councillor Dave Neeson and Mayor Margaret Quirk, who met with impacted residents in Paradise Beach, also acknowledge that solving the flooding issues will require further planning.
“Raising the road is worth exploring, but it needs to be part of a broader, comprehensive solution that looks at drainage, water flow, and impacts on surrounding properties, not just elevation,” Neeson said.
“Additionally, York Region would be an important partner in evaluating and delivering a long-term solution. In this regard, I will continue to advocate and plan to find long-term solutions in the lead-up to the budget. Residents of Paradise Beach deserve no less.”
Mayor Quirk also cautions that a solution may be costly and require the support of future councils.
“While raising the road may be part of the discussion, it cannot be viewed as a standalone fix. Cost and funding considerations are also critical, and any proposal would need to align with the Town’s capital plan,” she said.
Still, Mayor Quirk stressed the need for the Town to budget for more extreme weather events, which may require protecting vulnerable areas along Georgina’s 52 km shoreline.
“We are seeing more frequent and intense weather events, and Georgina is not alone. Many shoreline communities have faced flooding this year. It’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful these conditions can be. This underscores the need to move toward more permanent, climate-resilient shoreline solutions, beyond short-term fixes,” she said.
“Council has recognized this by endorsing Georgina’s first Climate Action Plan in June 2025. Its actions will be built into our annual budget and planning, ensuring we continue to adapt and strengthen our community’s resilience.”
According to Fire Chief Ron Jenkins, with the lake level near historic highs, the threat of further flooding along the Georgina shoreline may persist for several more weeks.
“The Lake Simcoe watershed is still saturated. The water level is expected to remain high for some time, approximately a month,” he said during this update to the council on April 22.
However, Chief Jenkins noted that Parks Canada has begun a gradual reopening of Lock 42 (Couchiching) on the Trent-Severn Waterway, which will help lower the lake level. However, he said that Park Canada must be careful not to let too much water flow out, as water levels are now four feet above normal in some communities downstream from the lock.
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