Brendan and Melissa Boudreau of Cymbria are concerned about their property value if plans to increase the intensity of an existing storage facility in Rustico move forward.
The room was full at Milton Community Hall Thursday night to discuss an application received by Raspberry Point Oyster Company to increase the intensity of its existing storage facility by adding a two-storey building that would allow the company to facilitate on site processing and packaging of oysters.
The Boudreau family moved to P.E.I. from Ontario to get out of the hustle and bustle of city living and buy their dream home on Grand Pere Point Road.
They are not only worried about property value but about the environment as well.
“It is encroaching on residential living and the overall environment,” said Melissa Boudreau in an interview with The Guardian.
Bruce Burley of Cymbria wanted to know how this expansion benefits people in the community.
“There is a lot of seasonal recreation property in this area that has been bought for big dollars,” said Burley. “It does nothing to enhance anybody’s property value, so why would we want this?”
The main floor would measure 40 X 112 square feet and would have areas for cooling, grading and loading and unloading oysters.
The second floor would measure 65 X 40 square feet and would have offices, storage, a lunchroom and lockers.
The facility would have the capacity for two washing and grading lines, however only one is planned at this time.
Many residents shared Boudreau’s concern about property value and the environment.
Some raised concerns about the number of existing oysters in the bay.
James Power, company manager, says the oysters actually clean the water by eating nitrogen containing compounds like algae and phytoplankton.
“When you see those anoxic events, that is caused by algae and phytoplankton,” said Power. “The oysters are actually eating all that, so the oysters are cleaning your water.”
Jim Good has lived in Cymbria for 25 years and has watched the river slowly deteriorate over the years.
“I’m very glad to hear that the oysters will be helping out the river system, but that bay area has been really compromised over the years.”
He feels the causeways on each end need to be opened up to improve health of the river.
Some residents also brought up concerns about water usage at the facility, the lack of an environmental impact assessment and the size of the building.
Others asked how many cages will be in the bay.
Power said they don’t have all the planning done yet, but that it will be in the neighbourhood of 20,000 cages in about 200 acres.
Power also said the company is committed to following every regulation in place, including environmental rules.
The deadline for public input and feedback is March 23, but that could change after several people at the meeting asked for an extension to allow some time for seasonal residents to respond.
Provincial officials said they will consider extending the deadline for submissions.
To make a submission, email [email protected] or call 902-368-4465.
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