Illegal wetlands trail near Parlee Beach will be moved, says government

Part of a walking trail built by the Anglican Parish of Shediac in violation of the Clean Environment Act will be moved, the provincial government said Tuesday.

The parish started building the trail in 2015 with an expired watercourse and wetland alteration permit.

Built on the site of a proposed mega-campsite in Shediac, the trail has been a sore point with residents in the area. 

A stop-work order was issued but the church continued to build a second section of the trail. The new section sits in the middle of several waterways that drain into a wetland, connecting Pointe-du-Chêne Road, just next to the estuary, to Parlee Beach Road.

Encroachment confirmed

After repeated criticism and questioning from Pointe-du-Chêne residents, the government admitted the construction of the trail was a mistake and caused by a failure to inform the church it needed a permit for the construction.

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But the government also said it would only ask for remedial action if an inspection proved this was necessary.

On Tuesday, Environment Minister Serge Rousselle said he can confirm "there's a bit of encroachment."

Rouselle said part of the trail built within the wetland's buffer zone will be moved after a ground survey has finished delineating the wetlands in the area.

He also said the church will pay to move the trail, but he provided little information on how the mistake happened in the first place.

"It was simply a mistake done inadvertently," he said.

Residents of the area said they welcomed the government's decision and its affirmation that the trail was, in fact, built inside a wetland.

"We wanted to know if it's the place that we're thinking, or if it's somewhere else, or if it's more than what we think it is," said Arthur Melanson, a Pointe-du-Chêne resident. "But looks like they did find something that wasn't kosher."

Survey begins this week

The delineation survey is part of the government's effort to improve water quality at the beach, which has come under repeated scrutiny this year.

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The survey, which will begin this week, will also identify other developments in the area that encroach on wetlands.

Melanson said it was about time the government surveyed the area and hoped it will expand the delineation not only to a known saltwater marsh but also to the surrounding wetland area.

He said the wetland acts as a sponge for holding and filtering water and keeping it from going into the estuary, and emptying into Shediac Bay.

"We have to protect those wetlands because we are losing some every day," he said. "They are crucial to our ecosystem."

He added that he won't get too excited about Tuesday's announcement until he sees what the delineation says.

We have to protect those wetlands because we are losing some every day. They are crucial to our ecosystem.- Arthur Melanson, a Pointe-du-Chêne resident

"Then I feel better about expressing my feelings because right now it may be just a little tidbit of stuff that really means nothing at the end of the day," he said.

The department has hired consultant Sean Blaney to conduct the delineation survey.

Property owners in the area are asked to consent to a ground survey on their properties by July 15. The survey is free of charge.