Shediac MLA's campground proposal upsets campground owners

Campground owners in Shediac are questioning why the town is even considering a proposal by local MLA Victor Boudreau to build a 750-site campground next to Parlee Beach.

Just 18 months ago, the town was trying to get rid of campgrounds, said Dave Maltais, owner of Camping Oceanic.

"Town council had passed a motion basically saying they didn't want any additional campgrounds, not even the existing campgrounds to add more sites," said Maltais.

"Their thinking at that time was that there was sufficient sites in the area, that they didn't want more sites added," he said.

Boudreau, the LIberal MLA for Shediac-Cap-Pelé, and Michel Boudreau want to turn the land between the provincial park and the road to Pointe de Chene into a campground for big motor homes.

With 750 sites, it would be the largest campground in the region.

Marie-Paul Martin, owner of Camping Beauséjour, wants the community to do an economic impact study before approving any new campground.

"Put the horse in front of the buggy by doing an impact study of having another campground," she said.

Shediac already has more than 1,000 sites.

Neither Boudreau nor town officials could be reached for comment on Tuesday.