This stretch of land at Three Mile Beach in Naramata has been known as a clothes optional area for decades.
(MEAGHAN ARCHER / iNFOnews.ca)
July 09, 2014 - 1:27 PM
PENTICTON - A formal complaint has been made to RCMP about nudists at Three Mile Beach making other beach goers uncomfortable.
A group of people who live near the beach brought their complaints to Mayor Garry Litke Tuesday who passed them on again to Supt. Kevin Hewco.
“Local residents are feeling intimidated about using the public beach,” Litke said.
People don’t feel comfortable bringing their children and grandchildren to the beach because of the high volume of nudists. More then 40 nudists were on the beach yesterday afternoon, Litke said.
He said the nudists have been “very assertive” about having clothes optional space on the beach, since a private landowner put up fencing along his beach land because he didn’t feel the nudists were being respectful.
Litke said he has no problem with the nudists but he is not going to sanction a section of public land for that use.
Litke has been supportive of the nudists and their right to exercise freedom, but only “as long as it’s not impinged on someone else,” he said. People have found a way to share the beach for over 40 years, so why not continue to share, he said.
There needs to be a mutual understanding that the beach is there for all the public to use, whether clothed or not, he said.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014