No to fishing, yes to turbines
Administrator | Mar 24, 2013 | Comments 5
No to a few fishing cabins—Yes to giant IWT’s—Does this make sense?
Peter Kent the Environment Ministry for the Federal Government states in the County Weekly News that his, “federal department has a duty to keep commercial enterprises off Crown Land.” He also stated that commercial use of national wildlife area is not ordinarily permitted.
Now these statements came about as a result of commercial fishing being cancelled at Prince Edward Point. Why the government felt this little fishing village had to go is beyond anyone’s comprehension.
The fishing villages are part of the heritage of this county.
BUT it is apparently OK for Crown Land at Ostrander Point to be ruined by IWT’s where the land in question is a part of IBA, and the construction of these turbines will ruin this land and all the natural species that inhabit this land.
A few fishing cabins and fish net reels in no way compare to giant IWT’s and the destruction they cause in their construction.
Doris Lane
Picton, Ontario
Filed Under: Letters and Opinion
You have a very good point here Doris Lane.It contradicts their stance on environmentally sensitive areas.Its sad to see the fishing at Point Traverse coming to an end so many People’s livelihoods depended on this beautiful area which was and still is very well maintained by the Fishermen and Local Residents of Point Traverse.The Provincial and Federal Governments should be ashamed of themselves.
Someone obviously did not read my column and see my comments on the issue. The decision has absolutely nothing at all to do with birders or birding – it has to do with habitat preservation, albeit misguided on the part of the decision makers. Birders have always been on excellent terms with the fishermen and we had no influence into the decision. Tim McCormack will tell you that I e-mailed him several times on this matter, and what a travesty I felt this decision was, while up the shoreline, critical alvar habitat is about to be destroyed with no apology. Government would have us believe that saving a strip of shoreline 80′ X 600′ that the fishermen have tradionally used is going to make an impact on the 1800 acres the CWS already owns. It’s crazy to destroy the livelihoods of hard working people like that. As my column stated, there are too many bureaucrats who need to get out from their climate controlled offices and into the back of an open fishing boat in late November to see what life is like in the real world. Yes, there were likely some issues that could have been rectified, but not this way. The “birdwatchers” as you call them, are just as upset by this decision as you are.
Velma maybe I did not make myself clear but I was trying to say that it seems Ok for the government to destroy natural habitat with large IWT’s but it is not OK to have a few fishing villages that do harm to anyone. It is a real shame to destroy our quaint, useful fishing village which is a part of our heritage and as Velma says is a living for many people.
A comment passed along to me:
“The County Weekly News this week (page 7) reports that Enviro minister Peter Kent says “ that his federal ministry has a duty to keep commercial enterprises off crown parkland’. This is in reference to the Prince Edward Point Wildlife Area at Long Point, just down the shoreline from the Gilead project on Provincial crown land. With the focus on species at risk, migratory pathway and preservation of natural environment in the environmental hearings, why is it that one layer of government sees it as its duty to protect our natural heritage and the other views it as a resource to be exploited? Add to this the land trust purchase of the Miller farm and things are weighted towards the cautious, sensible approach, except when it comes to the Ontario government position.”
In my view, both the federal government and the provincial government got it wrong.
Peter Kent is not in touch with reality. Are the bird watchers more important than people? All he knows is what he reads in a book, no knowledge as to how people have to live and try to make a living so they don’t have to live off the government. I bet if the natives wanted to go there and fish there would be no problem. To heck with the bird watchers and what ever else for once thing about our own people who are trying to make a living. My father was a fisherman there for years along with many others and it never interfered with the environment. WE soon won’t have anything in this country to make a living at.
Peter Kent needs to go.