Councillor beckons for beacon to be funded as historic Port Burwell Lighthouse sits in limbo

A year after being shorn up to prevent collapse, the future of the historic lighthouse in Port Burwell, Ont. again looks a bit dim.

Cables and a steel stabilizer ring still support the 184-year-old Port Burwell structure.

In 2023, $100,000 was spent to ensure it would not collapse.

“The entire spruce is physically leaning like the Tower of Pisa,” said Daniel Holmes of Heritage Restorations in an April 2023 interview with CTV News London.

At the time, Bayham Mayor Ed Ketchabaw had hoped the full restoration of the lighthouse would begin as early as 2024.

But according to the local councillor for Port Burwell, that won’t happen. Tim Emerson said the cost is prohibitive.

Bayham Township Coun. Tim Emerson is seen standing in front of the historic lighthouse in Port Burwell, Ont. on March 18, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)“It’s estimated to be a million and a half dollars,” he confirmed.

That is a lot of money for a municipality already saddled in debt from the HMCS Ojibwa. The troubled sub-project sunk the finances of the municipality half a decade ago.

Bayham pays more than $330,000 a year to service its loan on the submarine. More than $4-million of a $6-million loan commitment is reported unpaid.

Emerson said the lighthouse project delay does, in part, relate to the loan. Still, he intends to ask council to support a $90,000 engineering study into its restoration.

If not completed, he fears the lighthouse may not qualify for any sudden federal or provincial grants.

The HMCS Ojibwa is seen in Port Burwell, Ont. on March 18, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)He said that is vital to secure a “Historic landmark of national importance.”

“Many of us here feel this is an important reflection of our community and of our past," said Emerson.

While the restoration of the lighthouse remains a 2025 Bayham budget priority, municipal administrator Thomas Thayer said council could choose to defer it to later years.

But Emerson intends to argue the lighthouse project and some other tourism-related initiatives cannot wait.

“If we can pull these things together, it would be a better place for everybody to visit and enjoy themselves at the beach,” he said.