Another backyard falls into the Bay of Fundy

Unfortunately, another backyard on Red Head Road has fallen into the Bay of Fundy due to erosion. Since 1995, several backyards and condemned homes have fallen into the Bay. The provincial government attempted to fix the problem by placing 4,000 steel cable anchors at the foot of the bluffs; however, several storms eventually blew the cables apart.

Roly McIntyre, the MLA for the area, said that while he feels concern for his constituents, he’s not sure what responsibility the province has in this situation. “Back in 1995, we did compensate some people that lost their houses. Now, the question of will we compensate again, that’s a question we would have to raise, because some of these properties were only purchased in the last two or three years.”

Red Head resident Peter Hilder said his family and his neighbours have been meeting with different levels of government about the erosion problem for the past decade. Hilder said an engineering company is monitoring the situation on Red Head, but nothing’s been done by city officials to fix the problem, and he’s wondering how long it will take.

For once, I actually agree with Roly. I really can’t see why the province should be responsible for people who choose to live there. The people who had lived there for years may have a point, because this wasn’t an issue at the time when they built or purchased their house; however, the people who have moved there since this became an issue are on their own. They would have known the risks and should not be expecting us, as taxpayers, to compensate them. I think any development along that stretch of the road should stop, and the homeowners should be making all attempts to move.