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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ EARTH ACTION BULLETIN ---December 28, 1999--- REALITY CHECK - GREENWICH PARK STILL THREATENED ============ Earth Action 81 Prince Street, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4R3 902-621-0719 email: slabchuk@isn.net ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ REALITY CHECK - GREENWICH PARK STILL THREATENED WAS IT A VICTORY? By now most of you have heard the Parks Canada announcement (December 20/99) that plans for a hotel on crown land adjoining the national park at Greenwich, PEI have been scrapped due to public pressure, although the interpretive centre will go ahead. In the media coverage this was presented by Parks Canada and Island Nature Trust as one of those win-win situations. But this was false. THE REAL THREAT The real threat to Greenwich is the recreational beach Parks Canada has developed on PEI's last wild shores. It's the magnet for all other planned and potential development next to the Park. A new paved road will provide easy access for cars and tour buses to reach the beach parking lot (built with room for expansion) and the toilets, showers and fast-food outlets - all right next to the dunes. This is going ahead. The bulldozers are moving in and there are signs that once the interpretive centre is complete, there will be further construction that threatens the wild beach, endangered piping plover, rare plants and spiritual peace of the dunes. PLANS OF THE SO-CALLED DEVELOPER APM, a PEI retail development company, will build, own and lease to Parks Canada the interpretive centre, built on crown land within walking distance of the beach development, even though it was recommended in a Parks Canada cumulative environmental assessment last summer that: "Preference should be given to proposals that locate the facility in an adjacent community rather than in the Park itself or on the rural lands directly adjacent to the National Park properties." In October, a leaked document disclosed APM's plan for profits at the expense of Greenwich. It's called the Greenwich Settlement, a community ‘similar to communities in Florida', with up-scale residences and all the amenities. Here's part of the release: "The ‘Greenwich Settlement' is APM's vision for future development in the St. Peter's Bay area. The Interpretive Centre is part of our vision of partnering with Parks Canada (and potentially others) in order to develop the Greenwich Settlement. As can be seen from our design concept, the Centre is the gateway, physically and visually, to the sensitive areas of the Park, the trails in the Park and the beach access area of the Park. Conceptually, the Centre is the gateway for visitors to learn about and appreciate the Park and St. Peter's area, but is also the gateway through which APM can proceed with projects complimentary to the Centre. In retail development, which is APM's background, the Park and Interpretive Centre can be seen as anchor tenants giving APM the opportunity to develop other aspects of the project. . . . APM is proposing that its concept of the Greenwich Settlement will thrive." To would-be resort developers (and there are many vultures circling Greenwich), the park and interpretive centre are nothing but "anchor tenants". The park is just an outdoor shopping mall to attract additional clients. To make matters worse, the land next to the interpretive centre is for sale. This critical piece of property lies between two of the three parcels of land that comprises Greenwich. APM says its Greenwich Settlement will be built within walking distance of the Park, the interpretive centre and the beach. It would be fair to say this land fits the bill for APM's resort plans. OPPOSITION TO DESTRUCTION UNDERCUT Earth Action has opposed the recreational beach, the hotel and an interpretive centre that would be built directly adjacent to the Park. So have many individuals on PEI and groups all across the country. Our combined efforts made Greenwich a national issue. But the opposition to the destruction of the Park has been undercut, aided by some environmental groups. Parks Canada conceded nothing of importance by dropping plans for the hotel. APM says it will simply build on private land. The overall threat to ecological integrity has not diminished at all. The Island Nature Trust has the only seat on the Greenwich Advisory Committee and supposedly represents the conservation voice. But the Trust has gone along with the recreational beach development and constructing the interpretive centre next to the Park. After the hotel announcement the Trust's executive director, Kate MacQuarrie, was on a panel with a Parks Canada official on CBC-TV and there was no discussion about the beach and interpretive centre (built adjoining Park property) drawing tens of thousands of people into the Park. DON'T GIVE UP ON GREENWICH We mustn't settle for compromises in a world of disappearing wildlands. We have the right to expect and demand that Greenwich be protected as a natural area and that it not be a playground for sun-seeking tourists, or an engine for local economic development. The National Parks Act (1988) says: "5(1.2) Maintenance of ecological integrity through the protection of natural resources shall be the first priority when considering park zoning and visitor use in a management plan." Don't give up on Greenwich. Use whatever means you have to oppose these developments. Support us in whatever we have to do to preserve the ecological integrity of the park. Hold those accountable, both in governments and in the environmental community, who are supposed to speak for the animals and plants who have no human voice to express themselves. Don't let the PEI government off the hook. Pressure the province to immediately implement strict zoning regulations to control development outside the Park. Sharon Labchuk and Irene Novaczek ********************************** Some addresses: Hon. Sheila Copps Minister of Canadian Heritage Fax: 819-994-5987 coppss@parl.gc.ca Premier Binns Fax: 902-368-4416 pgbinns@gov.pe.ca Rick Laliberte NDP parks/environment critic (Federal) Fax: 613-995-7697 lalibr@parl.gc.ca Your Member of Parliament House of Commons, Ottawa K1A 0A6 Joe O'Brien Director General for Eastern Canada Parks Canada 1869 Upper Water St Halifax, NS B3J 159 Fax: 902-426-1378 joe_obrien@pch.gc.ca Earth Action 81 Prince St Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4R3 Fax: 902-621-0719 slabchuk@isn.net -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list (sust-mar). http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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