All Courtney Jackson wanted was a relaxing day on the beach with her family Monday.Instead, as a Niagara Regional Police officer escorted them off the beach, her daughter was left wondering: âMommy, are you going to jail?âAll because Jackson wanted to provide her son some shade with a small tent.Jackson, the owner of Claws Nail & Beauty Bar in St. Catharines, says the day went sour shortly after she arrived at Crystal Beach at about 12:30 p.m. Monday. After her bags were checked for alcohol and glass containers, and paying admission for the first time, the Niagara-on-the-Lake family sat down and was interrupted by a man who pointed at the half-moon pop-up tent she brought.âHe just came up to me in a random way and said, âDid anyone tell you about this?ââ she says. âHe said, âYouâre not allowed to have tents on the beach.ââThe small tent was for her children in case they needed a break from the sun. Sure enough, 30 minutes later âmy son was already whining, looking for some kind of comfort.âAll along the beach, Jackson spotted huge umbrellas tilted sideways to provide shade. She didnât think a half-moon tent for her kids would be a problem. But no sooner was the tent up than the same man who approached her earlier â who she later learned was a bylaw officer â was back.âAll he said was, âDidnât I tell you about this? Take it down.â Thatâs what threw everything off, there was no proper communication. And no respect from the very minute this random person approached me.âAfter refusing to take the tent down, the man returned about 40 minutes later with a Niagara Regional Police officer. Thatâs when Jackson was told she had to leave. A video posted to her Facebook page shows the family, along with three other kids they were with, being escorted out.âHe said, âIs this your tent?â I said, âYes.â Then ...
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