Glenna Snider, Port Elgin Beach Preservers, addressed Saugeen Shores Council December 9 concerning the proposed Port Elgin Main Beach development.

Hub Staff

Waterfront revitalization at the Port Elgin Main Beach has been a topic of discussion since project proponent Pier Donnini presented his Cedar Crescent Village concept to Saugeen Shores Council in July of 2019.

Through a standing room only public meeting in September followed by more discussion in Council Chambers in November, the subject continued to make waves at the December 9 Committee of Whole when a delegation was delivered by Peggy Corrigan-Dench and Glenna Snider, two members of the Port Elgin Beach Preservers (PEBP), a group formed in response to the project.

Corrigan-Dench referred to meetings of the Waterfront Project Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, held September 11 and September 25, the September 25 meeting resulting in a recommendation to Council.

Corrigan-Dench suggested that the summary of public concerns had been unfairly presented as they included information from the members of Council and Saugeen Shores CAO David Smith. She also challenged a statement in the report that suggested the majority of the opposition to the proposed project came from property owners adjacent the site and not the broader community.

“There’s been repeated opposition from people who live nowhere near the lake or adjacent to the propery,” stated Corrigan-Dench. “I live twelve blocks away from the water," she said adding that 4,400 had signed an online petition opposing the project and that a PEBP Facebook group had over 800 members.

Corrigan-Dench noted a recently announced Committee of Whole meeting scheduled for Monday, December 16 and urged Council to hold a larger public meeting before any vote is made or to delay any decision until spring when a better assessment of the risk from high-water, flooding and erosion on the beach is available.

Glenna Snider shared a presentation to Council with input from Jonathan Tinney, a registered professional planner and visitor to Saugeen Shores. Snider suggested that a change in wording between the Request For Proposal (RFP) released in February and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) presented in May, allowed for variances from the original footprint outlined in the RFP.

Snider questioned whether a Value for Money (VFM) analysis had been done to assess the fair market value of the site prior to considering a lease agreement with a private investor. Snider’s presentation quoted from the Ontario Municipal Act, that a municipality shall not grant assistance to a private business through lending, leasing or selling the property of the municipality at below fair market value.

Outside Council Chambers, Corrigan-Frank informed members of the media that the Port Elgin Beach Preservers have requested three delegations at the upcoming Committee of Whole on the waterfront revitalization project and expressed frustration that any delegations for the December 16 meeting needed to be submitted by the Wednesday prior while the agenda isn't expected until Thursday.

“It’s very possible that on the 16th, the Town Council is going to make a recommendation for approval that will go to the next meeting and it can get passed right then and there," said Corrigan-Frank. “That does not give us or the Council enough time to look at all the considerations and the public does not get a chance to voice their concerns, because they’re only going to see it on the 16th. That will be the first time that we’ve seen the final plans and the lease negotiations."

After the Committee of Whole adjourned, Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau took the opportunity to clarify that there is no deal until Council makes a decision. "Council has not made a decision, council cannot make decisions in closed-sessions or out of the public view, and as everyone who has been watching this Council in public will know, no decision has been made. We haven’t had a final plan or lease agreement presented to us, so it cannot be a done deal until Council debates it in public and casts a vote," he said.

During the Regular Council meeting that followed the December 9 Committee of Whole, Council received a motion moved by Councillor Cheryl Grace and seconded by Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt to amend procedures of the December 16 Committee of Whole meeting to extend the duration of the Open Forum from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, and to waive the restriction that prevents a speaker from being heard twice on the same topic within a six month period.

Charbonneau confirmed his support for the motion and noted that this would allow for ten speakers to voice their opinions in the Open Forum, in addition to three delegations, and that it would also grant a second opportunity for citizens who have already spoken on the subject to speak.

“It’s also important to remind the public that this is a Committee of the Whole meeting and should Council choose to approve any recommendation that comes before it, or if the discussion continues beyond the 16th, that there will be subsequent meetings prior to final adoption of any resolution, at least one Regular Council meeting where there will be again opportunities to appear at the Open Forum as well as delegations,” verified Charbonneau.

Councillor Don Matheson requested that with the announcement of the amended procedures for the December 16 meeting, Council also reinforce that “the rules of the Open Forum are you speak, Council listens. There will be no discussion."

The motioned was carried with a unanimous vote.

UPDATE: The Town of Saugeen Shores has announced that concept drawings for the Cedar Crescent Village had been made available. See Waterfront revitalization drawings now available