White Rock Pier, Waterfront passageway and bicycle bridge in White Rock, Canada.
White Rock Pier is a 470-metre wooden pier in White Rock, British Columbia, extending over Semiahmoo Bay and ending at a rock breakwater completed in 1953. A sign calls it Canada's longest pier, though the title is disputed with the Quai de Portneuf in Quebec. Since 2024, an accessibility mat on the deck smooths the uneven planks for wheelchair users, walkers and the visually impaired.
White Rock Pier opened on 14 November 1914 as a steamship dock built after the Great Northern Railway reached the town; the original 1912 floating dock had been destroyed by winter storms in 1913. A federal extension in 1915 brought it to 1,542 feet, and a permanent rock breakwater was completed at its end in 1953. A wind storm on 20 December 2018 tore out a large midsection, and the pier reopened in 2019.
The pier is a popular spot where locals and visitors watch fishermen cast lines into the bay and spend time looking out at the coastal mountains. On certain days, small community events take place along the walkway, giving the place a relaxed social feel.
The pier is open to pedestrians and cyclists, but dogs and vehicles are not allowed on the walkway. Since it also serves as an active customs point, some sections may occasionally be off-limits depending on the situation.
A sign on the pier calls it Canada's longest, at 470 metres (1,540 ft), but the Quai de Portneuf in Quebec disputes the title, and the pier is built in the same manner as the longer causeway at the nearby Tsawwassen ferry terminal. In the 1940s and 1950s cars were allowed on the wooden deck, and teenagers held drag races there, damaging the structure.
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