Fight to keep youth camp open heading to court

A local group fighting to keep Amherstburg ’s Camp Bryerswood open gets to make its case in Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Oct. 9.

Girl Guides Canada had made an application to the court to sell off a number of Ontario campsites, including Camp Bryerswood. The application was scheduled for May 8 but was adjourned to allow interested parties the opportunity to seek official intervener status.

A local group led by Kathi Poupard, president of the Bryerswood Youth Camp (BYC) Optimist Club, has been working to keep the camp open.

“BYC Optimist Club has submitted a 15-year business plan to the court to show how the camp can be run on a profitable basis and still be an affordable venue for youth organizations in our community,” Poupard said in a statement released by Toronto lawyer Taras Kulish.

Kulish said he is confident the court will grant the group standing as an intervener.

“The hope is that we will ultimately be successful in having the property transferred to BYC Optimist Club,” he said in a statement. The 25-acre parcel of land was purchased in 1992 and held in trust for the use of Girl Guides Canada. BYC Optimist Club has supported the campground since its inception.

The members of BYC Optimist Club are long-term Girl Guide leaders who have been associated with Camp Bryerswood for decades.