Many people living along Lake Huron and Georgian Bay shorelines over the last week could share stories of the magnitude of high winds and wave action they’ve observed and experienced.

The Town of South Bruce Peninsula, early in October, sprayed a section of the beach, presumably to kill the young phragmites. One only needs to do a bit of research to find areas where volunteers have manually removed young plants along public beach waterfronts.

Dr. Janice Gilbert from the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre states that "We desperately need … water-safe herbicides," … "We don't yet have them in Canada.” (CBC Oct 15, 2019)

Here we have a large stretch of the beach, where many property owners have sandpoint wells in areas near where high water and heavy wave action occurred shortly after the pesticides were sprayed. Where will that pesticide be now? Who will be drinking and using that water?

The Town is currently awaiting sentencing for two guilty charges for destroying Piping Plover Habitat under the Endangered Species Act. The Justice of the Peace, in his summation of the case, noted that the town actually contravened it’s own Beach Management By-laws. He also commented that the Town provided no expert testimony to defend their actions. Now they have sprayed pesticides on the shoreline.

Unbelievable.

Donna Mitchell
Annan