Officials with the Grand River Conservation Authority, the city and police are considering their next steps to prevent a small, man-made island next to Mill Race Park in downtown Galt from getting any bigger.
The rock island began to appear in July, but over the last few weeks it has grown from a pile of rocks to a tear-drop shaped island stretching north toward Park Hill Road bridge.
The people who built it topped it with a Canadian-flag-adorned "Express Wagon" and a swinging, duck-taped flag pole.
One man who frequents Mill Race Park but didn't want to provide his name says he thinks it's "wonderful" and "patriotic" and sees no problem with it.
"It's positive," he said. "People come down here and take pictures with it. They love the backdrop. It's attracting attention for this business owner. He should be happy. Instead he's disgruntled.
"Everybody else in the neighbourhood says they support it. I don't know why there's so much controversy."
The local business owner he's referring to reached out to the city with her concerns but didn't want to provide her name after talking with CambridgeToday.
"It's just a stupid idea," she said of the island. "I want police and the GRCA to take the steps needed to dismantle it. These are grown men. They need to find something positive to put their energy into."
Apart from being stupid, she and others think the rock island is a safety concern, not only for the men seen drunkenly walking into the river to gather rocks for their construction project, but others in the community.
"All you need is one 12-year-old kid to walk across to reach the island and get sucked under, and for that, it's stupid."
If it costs taxpayers money to have it removed, she said, the people who built it should be fined.
Director of communications for the city, Alana Russell said the city is aware of the issue and has connected with its community partners, including the GRCA, Waterloo Regional Police Service, and Ministry of Natural Resources, related to next steps.
"Although waterway management is not under the purview of the city, we would ask that the individuals who have undertaken this activity refrain from doing so as it poses a significant safety concern and is disruptive to the community," she said in an email.
GRCA communications manager Lisa Stocco said the conservation authority continues to keep an eye on the small artificial island as part of its routine dam inspections and as part of its flood management role.
However, in this specific instance, the GRCA does not own that section of the riverbed, she added in an email sent Tuesday.
The river is the jurisdiction of the MNR.
