The Town of South Bruce Peninsula had planned to undertake a project which would improve the parking along Lakeshore Blvd N., making the area safer for pedestrians.

We were granted a permit by the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority but subsequently, a Judicial Review of the permit was filed with the Court by Mr. Tom Laforme.

The Town attended the hearing on March 22, 2021 with the panel of three Justices promising to expedite their final outcome. On March 29, 2021, we received the Court’s decision. They quashed (revoked) the Conservation Authority’s permit and indicated that they are sending the request back to the Conservation Authority to reconsider.

We do not yet have any details on the decision to understand the reasons for sending it back to the Conservation Authority for their review, however the decision suggests that the panel was not unanimous. We will only know what that means when we receive the full Reasons which the Justices said they will try and release by the end of June. Unfortunately, this means that the Parking Improvement Project cannot go ahead as scheduled and as a result, the Town will have to take the necessary interim steps to mitigate the current safety hazard prior to the beach season. 

Janice Jackson
Mayor
Town of South Bruce Peninsula