COASTLINE VULNERABLE TO GOVERNMENT INEPTITUDE
I have been a summer resident of Sea View, P.E.I. on the north shore since 1988. As an architect with some planning experience, I have had an abiding interest and concern regarding the regulations (or lack thereof) regarding coastal development.
P.E.I.’S fragile coastline with its susceptibility to erosion is vulnerable to extreme weather events as hurricane Fiona clearly demonstrated. How sad to see that it also continues to be vulnerable to government ineptitude as demonstrated by the cottage and sea wall constructed at Point Deroche. The construction contravenes both the Environmental Protection Act and the Coastal Property Guide.
The Coastal Property Guide states, “You can’t build or locate any structures within the buffer zone.” Two ministers claim that no laws were broken. Minister Myers states, “It was determined that the house was not inside the buffer zone,” as if the sea wall was not a structure. Not only does the sea wall stretch out beyond the high-tide line but also appears to stretch beyond the low-tide line, effectively blocking the beach, a public right of way. There seems to be some suggestion that this was all done under a ‘grandfathering’ provision as if to justify the approval of this project on the basis of repeating the same mistake over again.
The P.E.I. coastal landscape is one of its most valuable resources and a major reason for a healthy tourist economy. The government, with its ability to regulate, is the steward of this resource and as such must take the ‘long’ view and respect the collective concerns regarding the coastal landscape’s integrity and beauty. Inappropriate and egregious construction such as that at Point Deroche has no place on the coastal landscape of the Island.
David Sisam, Toronto, Ont.