Dominion park beach is arguably Saint John’s most prominent beach. Multitudes of people can be found at the beach on any given day as it is extremely popular not only in summer but also in winter for ice fishing and skating. Recently due to flooding, the canteen area has been removed and the promised improvements have not been carried out. For over a decade the city of Saint John has been promising to upgrade and update the park using budgeted funds however nothing has been carried out. 

There are no longer washrooms, a canteen, a change room or benches. The picnic area and playground are severely outdated and all the upkeep such as painting, brush clearing, spring cleaning has yearly been completed by volunteers. These upgrades were budgeted for over 11 years ago however they are yet to materialize. Dominion Park has been designed as a regional park under the PlaySJ Plan and improvement designs have been released multiple times within these years. 

Since the 2018 flooding, there have only been temporary washrooms in place which were removed alongside the benches by September. The gates to the parking lot also remain locked the majority of the time not only in the warmer weather but during ice fishing season leading for cars to dangerously park along the small road. 

Many feel that the city has not lived up to its responsibilities. For the past decade, local community groups have led the discussion for change with city officials and taken the lead in organizing cleanup days. Maintenance for the park has been underfunded to the point where significant assets have been lost. Overall the state of the beach is far below than acceptable and requires restoration.