Honorable Minister Piccini,
Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
It has come to my attention that Mayor Janice Jackson has made a personal appeal regarding the building of a retaining wall in Sauble Beach.
This area is a unique and fragile ecosystem. Many different options, including one way streets, off-site parking etc, have been presented by different groups and individuals, but council has refused to even do a parking or traffic study.
I've included a news report with links to an independent beach study, a report from the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation regarding dune management and conservation at Sauble Beach and comments from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON). I URGE you to read these; they all point to the value and fragile nature of the dune ecosystem.
An earlier proposal for construction of a retaining wall was stopped with court intervention (see attached CTV news article).
"Great Lakes dune systems in Ontario, due to their extreme rarity and ecological fragility, have been suggested to be of national significance" (Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation). High hoes and bulldozers can cause irreparable damage to the fragile dune area. By conserving the dunes as is, the community is preserving a valuable asset that provides shore protection to the boulevard and the houses and businesses along the route.
There is much more to this proposal than traffic and safety issues. Please give this project your detailed examination before giving this project your approval.
Thank you for your consideration.
Donna Mitchell
Annan
https://london.ctvnews.ca/sauble-beach-dune-work-halted-by-courts-1.5369485
