Access to Fundy beach restricted by landowner fed up with garbage, fires, human waste
Province promotes beach on website but doesn't provide infrastructure
Rice Fuller fell in love with Waterside Beach after he moved to New Brunswick from New York City.
The two kilometres of sandy shores are nestled between Alma and Cape Enrage on the Fundy Coast. At low tide, there can be more than 500 metres of red sand between the grassy dunes and the crashing waves.
"I just don't think I've ever seen a beach this big, this open and with so few people on it," said Fuller, who eventually built a house nearby.
"I have this one amazing memory of being here on Canada Day a few years back with my two children. We were the only three people on this huge beach on Canada Day though, no less."
But in recent years, the beach has become considerably more popular. Fuller says since the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor explorers have also discovered the beach.
Waterside Beach is promoted on the province's tourism website. It's described as "An outstanding saltwater beach for beachcombing, listening to the surf as the waves break on the shore, and wildlife viewing."
It has all led to growing crowds on sunny days and rowdier visitors when that sun goes down. With no washrooms or trash cans, things started to get gross.
Edward Hoar owns the land that accesses Waterside Beach. His home overlooks the sands and cliffs that border the Bay of Fundy. For years he was OK with people parking on his property and crossing his land to get to the beach.
But as the crowds grew, so did the piles of garbage they'd leave behind. He said groups started having fires on the beach late at night, even during the province's burn bans. He said trucks started to drive down onto the beach and tear up the dunes.
Then he caught someone on camera defecating in his driveway.
"I wish I was kidding," said Hoar. "We just said 'enough is enough.'"
Up went the 'No Trespassing' signs and a fence made from wire and rebar. Vehicles are no longer able to park on his land and the easy access to Waterside Beach has been blocked.
Hoar said he takes issue with the beach being promoted on the province's website.
"It's not public, there's no garbage cans here, no washroom facilities," said Hoar. "You [invite] people to an area that's not maintained."
Government response
Bob Rochon, Fundy Albert's mayor, said he's disappointed the beach has been abused to the point where easy access had to be cut off.
"I will tell you from having been a tourist who has been down in that area and knowing the folks in question, I completely and wholeheartedly support what they did," said Rochon.
He said his new municipal government could look at placing infrastructure on the beach, but it hasn't been explored yet.
CBC News requested an interview with the province's Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, but one was not provided. Instead a statement from the department said, in part, "Waterside Beach has been promoted as a 'discovery beach' by Tourism New Brunswick for many years."
"Although it is not managed by the province, this is a public beach with multiple owners such as Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited and private landowners," said the statement. "We have not been asked at any point to remove the listing and would be a question for the landowner and for the local authorities as THC [Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture] has no jurisdiction."
Rochon and Hoar both said they wish the province would direct tourists to the nearby Dennis Beach instead. It previously operated as a provincial park, is a five-minute drive away and is still owned by the province. But it also lacks washrooms and trash cans, and access requires a steep descent down a sandy embankment that is not for the faint of heart.
For now though, Waterside Beach still has limited access through a narrow roadway that offers limited space to park and requires beach goers to walk through a pool of marsh water to get to the shoreline. Hoar also owns that property. He said he could block that access point as well if things continue to deteriorate.
Fuller said he understands and supports the decision, but he's still disappointed.
"I was just kind of bummed out," said Fuller. "That this amazing jewel of a place here in New Brunswick, people could no longer access easily."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
