Council supports extension of campground project, despite residents' concerns
Beaubassin East council voted unanimously to grant a two-year extension to a controversial campground project, despite fierce opposition from residents.
Shediac Camping Resort, a 210-site trailer park project on Euclide Leger Road in Cap-Brulé, was supposed to be well underway by now, but a roadblock with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has put all plans of construction on hold.
Access to the campground on Route 133 was previously deemed unsafe by the department because of a blind hill in the area. So the developer proposed solutions to start construction, including a speed reduction to 50 km/h, which failed to satisfy the department.
Council has now decided to give Pierre Vautour, the project's developer, until May 2020 to sort out issues with the province.
"I'm feeling real good," said Vautour after Tuesday night's meeting. "They made a good decision."
After a short deliberation, council voted 6-0 in favour of the extension by a show of hands. The vote was followed with applause by just a handful of people in the room.
Many residents left Tuesday's meeting with feelings of defeat.
"I'm very disappointed that council did not have the courage to do what they had every legal right to do," said Andre Touchburn.
"Which is to not approve an extension for a project which is ill-conceived and dangerous in the first place."
Standing room only
The special council meeting was standing room only. Many residents showed up to voice their opposition during the debate, which lasted more than three hours.
Council read from more than two dozen letters from residents — only three of them were in favour of the extension.
Many residents wrote about fears of destroying "the coastal community character" of the area. They said granting extra time when the developer already had two years to convince the province, was a "needless waste of taxpayer money."
Some even considered the never-ending uncertainty around the development like "holding the community hostage."
One person wrote that council was serving the "greed" of "one aggressive property owner," without any regard to the interest of people in the community.
During the Tuesday night meeting, many residents also took to the microphone to voice their opinions.
"We pay big taxes down there and now we're going to be made to live in the middle of a trailer park," said Anne Young.
But not everyone was against the extension.
Audette LeBlanc-Babineau, a project supporter, said residents' opposition to development was "shameful."
"If residents aren't happy with the proposed project, they should get together and buy the land," said LeBlanc-Babineau.
Controversial from the start
But this isn't the first controversy surrounding this piece of land.
Fifteen years ago, residents held protests after the LeBlanc family, who owned the land at the time, illegally brought in trucks to infill the environmentally sensitive wetland.
Gilles LeBlanc pleaded guilty in court, but instead of having to return the land to its untouched state, a compromise was made with the Department of Environment — something a spokesperson told CBC News would not have been acceptable today.
The family recently sold the land to Pierre Vautour, who was initially advertising lots for the summer 2017 opening.
Vautour is now waiting for a response regarding his latest proposal to the Department of Transportation, which was submitted in December.
He hopes to be able to open the campground for the 2019 season.
No one on council would do an interview after the meeting.
