Islanders and visitors alike have held a long-time fascination with a view of the water, whether it is the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Northumberland Strait, a river or simply a small pond. We like to get as close as possible to the water’s edge with our homes and cottages. For example, look at the condo and apartment developments crowding the Charlottetown waterfront and the ribbons of cottage developments around the perimeter of this province.
Tourists will pay a premium for a cottage with a view of the water. There is a special attraction to have a water view, which developers have long-capitalized on, and if buyers are willing to pay extra for a chance to live near water, then these developments are going to continue. In some cases, the demand for a view of the water has been to the detriment of our shorelines because of stress on the ecology and other environmental issues.
Those concerns were hammered home this week at the Coastal Zone Canada conference in Charlottetown. It’s evident having planners and politicians legislate against building too close to the shoreline is not easy.
But planning has worked in some areas. The Morell River has had an environmental no-development zone in place for many years. No development, farming or timber cutting has been allowed anywhere near the banks of the river since the 1970s. As a result, one of our largest watersheds is considered a wilderness river and there have been no fish kills or environmental issues in the Morell in recent memory. Following a heavy rain, the river doesn’t turn red because of run-off. In other cases, planning has not worked. Environmental activist Sharon Labchuk has long been critical of the developments at the North River Causeway. She said it will likely be one of the first places to flood or suffer water damage in a major storm but that hasn’t stopped shops from establishing there.
Mike Davies, president of the Canadian Coastal Science and Engineering Association, told the coastal conference that P.E.I.’s shorelines are under heavy stress and there are serious problem areas. Those include Charlottetown, Souris and the entire north shore where cottage development is “problematic and almost unwinnable.” While zoning and planning can take care of new developments, erosion is encroaching on homes and businesses that were out of danger 100 years go but are susceptible today.
As the climate changes and sea levels rise, storms are having a greater impact. Sea levels are higher today because of the melting polar ice caps, so big storms wreak more havoc. Look at the diminishing dune systems on the north shore where fall and winter storms do more and more damage every year.
It takes a disaster to make people sit up and take notice.
The recently released report on land use has made recommendations to address these issues. The warnings brought forward this week by the coastal conference should provide yet another wake-up call to government to look at those recommendations and start to address this problem seriously.
Griffin case finally closed
One of the longest litigation cases in the province’s history finally came to an expensive conclusion Tuesday as the P.E.I. Supreme Court appeals division came down squarely on the side of Dave Griffin, Summerside’s deputy chief of police. Griffin has been involved in various legal actions involving the city and several of its employees for more than 13 years.
Despite chances to settle for $75,000, along with an apology offered by Griffin in 1999, the city opted to proceed in the case. Now the total bill facing the city is estimated at close to $1.2 million.
Mayor Basil Stewart says it’s finally time to move on, an idea which Griffin put on the table 11 years ago. Let’s hope some valuable lessons were learned here.
Unfortunately, it’s the taxpayers who have to pay the final price.
