Could an endangered species of toads stop plans by a corporate conglomerate to erect a multi-storey condo on Bay Beach in the fabled Crystal Beach community of Fort Erie, Ontario.
The Fowler's Toad At Bay Beach, Fort Erie. Created by Paul Kassay
That is what Paul Kassay, a longtime advocate for preserving and enhancing the Crystal Beach area, hopes the Fowler’s toad will do for Bay Beach as many residents and people who own property there on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border prepare to fight those corporate developers and their own Town of Fort Erie at Ontario Municipal Board hearings, and at the ballot box during this October’s municipal elections.
Kassay created Niagara At Large’s latest pick for our ‘Sign of the Times’ series, and there is reason to believe that the Fowler’s toad still has a toe hold on Bay Beach that can be used as one more reason not to plunk a condo tower on it.
But Fowler’s toad or no Fowler’s toad, where is Niagara, Ontario’s regional government that claims it want to spare what is left of our lakeshore lands for the public. When is it going to have the guts to say “no” to the condo developers and the town councillors that have chosen to play toady to them and stand up for a public fighting for public access to our lakeshores?
Click up the Fowler’s toad image to blow it up and read the fine print.
(Click on Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater binational Niagara region.)
Niagara At Large 
The Bay issue is the albatross around the neck of Mayor Doug, Martins counci,l a council of yes people with no experience in dealing with issues that are sacrosanct and close to the hearts of all Fort Erians the Beach is holy ground to our people we every year would go to the Beach weather permitting since we were babies, this council is so obtuse they couldn’t get the point 95% of the people don’t think this is a good idea on any plane of reason, this is our birth right not a commodity to be given away, they just don’t get it.
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Bringing the Fowler’s Toad plight to the forefront is an important part of the Bay Beach issue and I have to give Mr. Kassy his due for such wonderful work.
Nice job Paul !!!
There is though another aspect, that I feel has yet to really be considered.
Crystal Beach Public Beach (aka Bay Beach Properties) is a publicly owned, Town operated, “Special Use”, waterfront park.
I believe that when Councilors and Staff refer to it as “The Bay Beach Properties”, they, by omission, distort the reality that we, as a community, if the current plan is allowed to become reality, would be losing control of a significant portion of a PARK, not “just a chunk of real-estate”.
Honestly, to me that’s scary!
Regards,
John
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Hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer’s money has been spent on various ” Community Planning” initiatives over the years regarding Crystal Beach and the “Bay Beach Properties,” only to be ignored by the present Council. The town is gifting the most valuable property in the town to a private developer, ignoring the rules that would be applied to any private developer in terms of environmental impact of building a 12 story building on the shore of Lake Erie. Violating setback rules and using antiquated existing foundations of dubious quality to justify it. Claims of economic rennaisance from 86 units that will likely be occupied only three months out of the year, is used to justify this.
To change the structure of a dynamic beach, that may cause erosion of sand to the east and west
and will certainly cause wind driven rain, sand and snow to pile up at Erie and Schooley Road without even doing an Environmental Impact Study is foolishness.
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