BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report
The municipal signs welcoming visitors to Sandy Beach in Hudson will soon be replaced, as the town’s council on Monday formally adopted a motion to close the park to all visitors – a move that will be reinforced with a commitment to fine anyone who ignores the new rules.
The action was taken following a decision in March by Nicanco Holdings, the owners of the land along the waterfront, to no longer tolerate trespassing on its property that features walking trails that provide access to the beach.
According to the town, the situation is temporary, as it has launched the process of establishing trails to access the beach from publicly-owned land. But that requires applying for a permit from the provincial Environment Ministry because the new trails would trace through sensitive wetlands. There is no timeline available on how long that process will take, but estimates extend well past the end of summer.
“It is currently impossible to put forward a date for the reopening of the beach, as the town does not control the deadlines for the stages that are the responsibility of other partners, including the Ministry of the Environment, which must approve the installation of a new pathway,” a message posted to the town’s website last week stated.
On Monday, Mayor Chloe Hutchison admitted the situation “is not ideal,” but steps have already been taken to begin the process. That includes hiring a consultant to provide a report that will characterize the site and make recommendations on how and exactly where the new trails can be created.
“Our commitment is to reopen the beach and to work alongside the owners,” Hutchison said when asked whether the town had obtained a legal opinion on whether Nicanco is adhering to the terms of the agreement signed in 2017 granting the town the beach servitude.
See SANDY BEACH, Page 11.
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The town of Hudson will soon replace these signs by the walking trails near Sandy Beach to make it clear that this is private land and trespassers will be fined.
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The 1019 Report
For Page 11:
SANDY BEACH: Trespassing fines start at $100
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The aim at this stage, Hutchison responded, is to work collaboratively with the landowner, rather than be confrontational.
“Our goal is to work with the developer to find a way forward,” she said Monday, adding despite the apparent escalation of tensions since March when Nicanco blocked access to its land by posting signs and installing concrete barriers, relations with the developer in the last three weeks have been “good.” Hutchison pointed to the fact that the company granted the town permission to access its land in order to replace a footbridge on the town’s neighbouring lot.
Although Nicanco has not made any public statements to explain why it has decided to deny access to the walking trails, the move came shortly after a hearing before the Tribunal Administratif du Québec in late February. The tribunal is set to decide whether Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette’s move to revoke the land owners’ permit to backfill part of the area along the Lake of Two Mountains should stand. If the revocation is upheld, it would effectively block Nicanco’s proposed 214-unit housing project for the site.
In order to ensure that no one trespasses on the private walking trails, the town’s move to close the beach includes prohibiting anyone accessing the area from the lake, including by canoe or kayak. This is necessary, Hutchison said, because the town has no way of accessing the beach to maintain it.
Anyone who contravenes the beach or trespasses by using the privately owned trails will be liable for a $100 fine. Any subsequent violations carry a $200 fine.
The town also moved to prohibit parking along Beach Road, near the Sandy Beach area. Hutchison said these restrictions are being implemented to provide “coherence” with the town’s move to encourage residents to respect the private land owner’s wishes to eliminate trespassing on its land.