Despite not being from Mabou originally, I am proud to call it my home.
Since moving to Mabou more than 12 ago, my wife and I have had the opportunity to become involved in community groups, committees, and events. To say that we are passionate about our community, its people, and the culture would be an understatement. Mabou is a vibrant and wonderful place to live and we are both fortunate to operate our businesses here.
I have questions and concerns regarding Cabot’s proposal for a new golf course in West Mabou, as I am well aware many of us have. As the rhetoric on both sides of this issue ramps up, I hope we all take the time to get all the facts and to listen sincerely to everyone’s perspectives. This is not a simple yes or no issue.
I believe this proposal has great potential for the area and will undoubtedly have a major impact on the physical and cultural environment of our community.
To ensure those impacts are positive and sustainable; the following conditions must be met, in my opinion. The first is the development must meet or exceed the recommendations of a comprehensive and independent environmental review of the proposed site of the golf course development and its surrounding environs. If the review does not recommend approval of the location as proposed, the developer must provide a new location/layout or withdraw the proposal entirely.
Second, the developer must undertake meaningful and direct consultation with our neighbouring First Nations communities regarding all aspects of the proposal. Any concerns expressed must be addressed by the developer without condition.
Third, the developer must provide a comprehensive and realistic plan to address housing for both permanent and seasonal employees.
Fourth, the developer must plan for year-round programming to encourage and maintain use of the park throughout the year. Since the development is to be located on public land, there must be provisions for the public to have reasonable access to those areas in the off season.
These are not small asks, and with more thoughtful input, the list should be expanded, but the proposed location on protected public lands requires a higher level of scrutiny/expectations and rightly so.
The proposed annual monetary support for selected local organizations is also a nice starting point, but that too must be proven to be sustainable and adjustable to the economic conditions of the day, well into the future.
With this proposal, our community has been presented with an excellent opportunity to learn from the golf resort town experience in Inverness, both positive and otherwise. We can take from that and proactively define what we want our relationship with Cabot to look like, but only if we work together.
David Greenwell
Mabou