Last summer, the pages of The Undercurrent, the signs on the streets, discussion on the Bowen Forum, and many council meetings were consumed with the issue of the proposed mega-docks at Cape Roger Curtis. A year later, where are we now?
Head down to the Cape and see for yourself. There are now three docks built, though they are not fully functional, having borne out the claim that a cape is no place for a dock. The first dock, at Lot 13, broke apart in a mild early summer storm. Some remediation has taken place, including the addition of pilings that do not appear on any approved construction drawings. The second dock, at Lot 11, crosses Pebble Beach (also known as Swimming Beach). Fortunately, the dock is seldom used. The third dock, at the Lighthouse, cropped up earlier this spring. And a fourth has been approved at Lot 6. At none of these lots is there any sign of home construction. And the aggregate number of actual dockings witnessed at Lot 13? Two.
Further, access to the docks at Lots 11 and 13 is only possible by crossing the 30-metre covenant zone that runs from the foreshore into the properties. Visitors to the Cape have reported that the property owners/developers have attempted to replant a hedgerow along the trail, again encroaching on the covenant zone. Visitors are also remarking on the loud noise of the docks as they shift with the tides.
Two more applications for docks at the Cape have been under review by the province’s Integrated Land Management Bureau since June 7, 2013. Both of these applications were submitted by a single Cape on Bowen partner. Two further applications are pending, one submitted on December 13, 2013, by the International Buddhist Society for a dock at Grafton Bay, and the second on May 14, 2014, by property owners in Bowen Bay. These applications, unlike the first four at the Cape on Bowen, will be assessed in the context of the municipal docks bylaw, which introduced a number of criteria for approval, including no breakwaters, siting requirements, and a length restriction.
Throughout the year, Stop the Docks has been active, though less publicly visible in recent months. Initially, we organized to protect the public interest at Cape Roger Curtis by opposing the building of docks on our highly valued public waterfront. We scrutinized the approval process for all of the Cape Roger Curtis docks. Significant elements of the process remain obscure, even after a number of freedom of information requests. Between June 2013 and May 2014, our members walked the trail at the Cape every weekday to monitor activities. We kept in close contact with the governments, agencies, and companies responsible for approvals, licensing, environmental monitoring, and other aspects of the construction of these docks. We gained significant, not easily ignored community support. More than 1,300 people signed our petition last summer. Municipal council, after its initial dismissal (“Not on the agenda”) and the mayor’s outburst (“Shut up!”), dealt with some of the concerns shared by many islanders, as demonstrated at the November 2013 overflow public hearing on the docks bylaw. These are accomplishments.
But we failed to stop at least four docks, with potentially more to come. As well, municipal council has not proceeded with the second phase of the docks bylaw—the phase that protects our public beaches from intrusion by private docks. Many who spoke at the public hearing asked council not to proceed in two phases because they were concerned the second phase would not happen. At the time, council insisted that there would be a second phase.
In response to a recent inquiry regarding the second phase of the docks bylaw, Stop The Docks was informed by the contract municipal planner that the docks issue is not part of council’s strategic plan; that is, the docks are, once again, no longer on the agenda.
We intend to change that.
