The water and planning supervisor for the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority says criticism of their Shoreline Management Plan is premature and inaccurate.
An owner of shoreline property told Bluewater Council this past week the plan would prevent owners from protecting their shoreline property and that the conservation authorities need sand to erode along the shoreline to provide beaches in places like Grand Bend and the Pinery Provincial Park.
Water and Planning Supervisor Geoff Cade points out the process only started a couple of months ago so they've had a couple of steering committee meetings but the public consultations have just barely started and they're a long way away from making any recommendations.
Cade also points out that for any application along the shoreline, they have to consider its impact on the entire shoreline and for that reason, some applications are more complicated than others. Some require more information than others but in the end the consequences have to be considered for anyone along the shore.
Concern had also been expressed at the council meeting about the timing of the Shoreline Management Plan process because many of the shoreline property owners had already gone south for the winter but Cade explains the consultation part of the process will continue into next summer.