Swimming in the river will soon be completely prohibited near Verdun boat docks

A lifeguard watches over Verdun Beach in Montreal on Monday, June 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

New signs prohibiting swimming will be installed in front of the boat docks in Verdun in the coming days, according to Patrick Léveillée, head of the borough’s Sports, Recreation, and Social Development Division.

He announced this on Thursday, during a public awareness day on safe swimming at Verdun Beach.

During a news conference held for the occasion, Verdun borough mayor Céline-Audrey Beauregard took the opportunity to remind the public that swimming is permitted only during the beach’s operating hours, within the area marked by white buoys. Elsewhere in the river, swimming is “not recommended” due to the current and depth, she noted.

A “swim at your own risk” sign was posted in front of the Quai-de-La Tortue (Turtle Wharf). Léveillé said that it would be replaced with a “no swimming” sign.

The mayor noted that the beach receives nearly 3,500 people per day, even though it was designed to accommodate only 350.

“This popularity comes with a collective responsibility to practice safe behaviour to ensure that this place remains a place for meeting, gathering, and also for recreation, refreshment, and sports,” she said.

When asked by Nouvelles d’Ici about the possibility of installing new structures on the beach to reduce the risks posed by the nearby current, the mayor maintained that this would require substantial investment. She believes that other facilities should be developed elsewhere in Montreal to reduce the “pressure” on Verdun Beach.

She said that the Rivières Foundation has identified 57 sites around Montreal where water quality is good and which could therefore potentially be converted into swimming areas.

Also present at the conference, Raynald Hawkins, executive director of the Lifesaving Society’s Quebec division, pointed out that half of all drowning deaths occur when the person is swimming alone. Less than one per cent of drownings take place in a supervised area, he added.

“No matter how many safety standards we enforce or how many lifeguards we have, the fact remains that there is a responsibility that lies with what I call the swimmer,” said the executive director.

He believes that in Quebec, people know more about wading than they do about swimming.

“I say this as respectfully as possible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 2, 2026.

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