Residents swarm meeting about Point Louise project

Chant Construction Ltd. officially presented the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority yesterday with its plans for a rural estate development near Point des Chenes park to be called Pointe Estates.

It's seeking necessary permits from the SSRMCA to proceed with work on the project.

On hand for Chant were its lead planner on the project (Bill Weirzbicki), its legal counsel (Bob Paciocco) as well as Alan Avery and Ann Irvine from the company's Sault office.

SSRMCA chair Ken Lamming cautioned the 50 or so people in attendance yesterday that it was not a town hall meeting.

Lamming said he'd allow a few short presentations provided they brought new information to light and didn't repeat issues already raised.

Shown (left to right) are Dave Fluke, an area resident; Gary McGuffin of the Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council (LSCWC); Mike Ripley of Tribal Fisheries in Sault Michigan and Joannie McGuffin, also of LSCWC.

As reported earlier by SooToday.com, Pointe Estates is a proposed development for the Pointe Louise, Pointe aux Pins area that would see construction of a 2,300-metre canal to service something less than 100 rural marine estate lots.

Area residents have several concerns about the proposed development.

As previously reported, they're concerned about ecological and socioeconomic impacts.

Almost 41 hectares of wetland are within the borders of the proposed development, Weirzbicki told the board and assembled area residents and environmentalists.

"We plan to return or reconstruct 20.6 hectares of that wetland through the construction of two islands and other measures," said Weirzbicki.

During her presentation, Joannie McGuffin said a wetland is not like a swimming pool with clearly designed edges that can be cut out of its surrounding environment and still function.

"We have to look at it from the bigger picture and how the loss of this wetland would impact the whole lake system," she said. "I hope this authority will make a thoughtful and well-informed decision about this important issue."

During his presentation, area resident Peter Gagnon said Chant has not been very forthcoming with important information about the project and neighbours are very suspicious about its potential impacts on their homes and lives.

"The conclusion they've arrived at thus far is that the development poses an unacceptable and immitigable level of risk and potential for major short- and long-term damage to the environment and the neighbourhood in which they live," said Gagnon.

He urged the conservation authority to grant Chant permission to proceed only after the full range of issues and concerns raised by neighbours has been addressed.