SHEDIAC, N.B. – Residents in Shediac are determined to fight a new campground development despite plans to move ahead with the project.
On Monday night, town council approved plans to re-zone more land for the site. The next steps in the process are an environmental impact assessment of the land and a traffic study.
Charlotte LeBlanc, one of the residents at the meeting to protest the development, said now she’s taking her fight to the province.
The proposed 80-acre campground includes 700 sites and would be built in a wooded area near Main Street, but people are worried about increased traffic and the environmental impact of building in that location.
Angele Wilson said there are still a lot of unknowns before construction can begin.
“It hasn’t changed its environmental sensitivity and we haven’t had a study that’s shown us it has changed,” she said.
Warren Redman was also at the meeting and said council isn’t listening to the concerns of residents.
“I’ve never experienced a council that doesn’t have a debate,” he said.
Despite the arguments, businesses and developers say the project would be good for the town’s tourism economy.
Victor Cormier of the Pointe-du-Chene Harbour Authority said he understands the concerns surrounding the project, but the extra visitors would be good for business.
The site’s wharf is a major tourist attraction with restaurants and a marina. Money raised at the entrance gate helps maintain its infrastructure.
“We’re going to have a lot more visitors to the wharf from this campground, so for us it’s all positive,” Cormier said.
Opponents say they are not buying into the campground’s proposed benefits.
“If it’s simply shuffling tourists from one park to another, which I suspect is primarily what’s going to happen, that would not be the case and there would be zero impact,” said Bill Belliveau.
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