Opponents to Scots Bay campground out in force at public hearing

Opponents to a proposed campground in the remote village of Scots Bay, N.S., came out in force to a public hearing this week.

The mayor and councillors with the Municipality of the County of Kings sat for more than five hours to hear all 30 people who wished to speak on the matter Thursday evening.

The proposal would see a 40-hectare plot on the main road in Scots Bay turned into a private campground with up to 100 sites for tents and RVs. The land is zoned for agricultural use, but council could allow for a campground under a development agreement.

A draft of that agreement has been recommended by municipal planning staff to council for approval.

However, many people who live in the community and surrounding areas disapprove of the proposal. It has been a point of contention in Scots Bay for the past two years as it has wound its way through the municipal planning process.

2 in favour, 28 against

Two people spoke in favour of the project at the public hearing, including the proponent, Julie Skaling. The other was Jeff Kelly, executive director of The Flower Cart, a non-profit that plans to partner with Skaling on a social enterprise at the campground for people with disabilities.

"This opportunity would be another way to demonstrate to the residents of the county and the province that Kings County is welcoming, it's inclusive and it celebrates its diversity," said Kelly.

The other 28 speakers were opposed, though many said they would be fine with the project elsewhere in the area.

The community is home to several commercial farms, including one next door to the proposed campground that has show horses and broiler chickens.

Hired experts

The owner of that farm, Lindsay Steele, hired several experts to give professional opinions at Thursday's meeting.

One of those was Gary Morton, who introduced himself as an agricultural consultant and adviser for more than three decades.

"If you like to eat, I believe your vote on this development agreement should be quite simple," he told councillors.

Morton said he was opposed to the project because it would reduce the amount of land in Kings County reserved for farming. He said loss of farmland is a growing problem.

"Approving this agreement, I believe, is unlocking a gate for a flood of new development applications, which will further shrink the agriculture production landscape, making it more difficult for farmers to produce food, and increasing food costs to consumers."

Morton also spoke about the risk of avian flu infecting the commercial chickens. He said Scots Bay provides some protection against infection because of its relative isolation, but a campground could change that by attracting more scavenger birds.

Steele also hired a traffic engineer who said the entrance to the campground, which would be at a bend in Highway 358, would increase the risk of collisions, leading to shutdowns on a stretch of road with no alternate routes.

A veterinarianspecializingin horses said the campground would bring a myriad of health hazards for the animals.She said she treats Steele's animals but was not commissioned to speak at the hearing.

Common concerns from residents

Many of the speakers were residents of Scots Bay and wore white T-shirts with "No Campground Scots Bay" in bold black lettering.

Common concerns were campers trespassing on private property, traffic hazards, pedestrian safety, negative impacts to the nearby salt marsh, negative impacts to neighbouring wells and septic systems, noise and light pollution anda drop in property values.

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Several people who live outside Scots Bay also spoke, including some nearby farmers. They echoed Morton in saying they were worried about the precedent the project would set in terms of reducing agricultural land in the heart of Nova Scotia's farming industry.

Skaling has said she thinks all concerns about her project can be mitigated. She said the campground wouldfollow the same operational standards as provincial campgrounds, with rules and expectations for how campers should conduct themselves.

'People do not follow the rules'

Chelsea Uhlman said it takes many resources to meet the standards of a provincial campground, and she called into question a private campground's ability to match that.

Uhlman introduced herself at the public hearing as the chief caretaker at Blomidon Provincial Park. The eastern edge of the proposed campground would border the park.

Uhlmansaid the community's concerns are legitimate.

"It does not matter what the proponent says their intentions are, it does not matter that they will have signage posted, it does not matter that they will set an expectation of the campers people do not follow the rules," she said.

Councillors are scheduled to vote on the proposal at a meeting next week.