RCMP investigate complaint related to province's handling of Parlee Beach

The Shediac RCMP said it will investigate a complaint filed over the province's handling of issues at Parlee Beach.

A group of concerned residents went to police Thursday, asking them to look at whether more needed to be done to protect the public.

This comes after issues with the sewage system at Parlee Beach came to light.

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The Red Dot Association, a local group worried about water contamination, alleges that by not tackling problems immediately, the government broke provincial and federal laws related to public health and environment.

Tim Borlase said residents went to the RCMP because they felt they had nowhere else to go.

"We came here out of a sense of frustration somewhat," said Borlase.

"Initially we were led to believe everything was fine at the beach, the water quality was great," he said. "The initial report didn't indicate any of these problems, and then to find them out by rights to access to information, again indicated to us we're never really sure whether we're getting the full picture from the government."

Sewage report

A recently released report on Parlee Beach's own sewage infrastructure revealed problems with the pipes built in 1976, including possible leaks.

The study, done by Crandall Engineering last year, noted wastewater from the beach's washrooms and restaurants wasn't making it all the way to treatment, raising questions to some as to where all the untreated wastewater was ending up.

The sewage pipes were built underneath the sand at Parlee Beach and, in emails obtained through access to information, the engineer hired by the province to lead the Parlee Beach working group, Jacques Paynter, raised the alarm last June about leaks creating what he called a potential "long-term reservoir for bacteria."

No further tests were ordered by the province after the Crandall study to confirm or rule out whether that was happening.
Residents allege that if the province is knowingly letting untreated wastewater into the environment, it is breaking its own Public Health Act, Clean Environment Act, Clean Water act as well as the federal Fisheries Act.

'People will stop coming'

Red Dot Association member Arthur Melanson said he is worried about long-term impact on the area.

"If we don't have any tourists coming over here, this is going to be a ghost town," said Melanson, who lives in Pointe-du-Chêne.  

"And all that needs to happen is one grave accident. And if a grave accident happens there and it's related to health, and it gets known, and it gets spread around, this is a lot worse than what we're living now. And then people will stop coming."

Cpl. Alice Desroches of the Shediac RCMP confirmed to CBC News an investigation has been opened and police will try to have an initial answer for the association within a few weeks.

The province has promised to replace the sewage system at the provincial park — a cost of $1.5 million — but the work won't be complete until the 2019 beach season.