Welcome to the Communities of West Covehead, Covehead Road, Stanhope, Pleasant Grove and Grand Tracadie
I Want To........
Important NewsUpcoming Municipal Meetings
All meetings will be open to the Public while ensuring adherence to the CPHO social distancing and Occupancy requirements. Wearing a mask is not mandatory but is requested when in areas where a 6ft distance may not be feasible. Looking forward to seeing you there! Recreation and Community Engagement Committee Meeting 5:30pm Wednesday Sept 15, 2021 North Shore Community Centre Stanhope Peninsula Fresh Water System Committee Meeting 3pm Thursday Sept 16, 2021 North Shore Community Centre EMO Committee Meeting 6:30pm Tuesday September 21, 2021 North Shore Community Centre Covehead and Tracadie Bays Enhancement Committee Meeting 7:00pm Tuesday Sept 28, 2021 North Shore Community Centre Water and Environment Committee Meeting 1:00pm Wednesday September 29, 2021 North Shore Community Centre Finance and Infrastructure Committee Meeting 4:00pm Monday October 4, 2021 North Shore Community Centre Regular Council Meeting 6:30pm Wednesday October 13, 2021 Grand Tracadie School Centre Planning Board Meeting 6:00pm TBD September , 2021 North Shore Community Centre Copies of Draft Bylaws to be read at upcoming Council Meetings can be found here, or can be viewed at the Municipal office during Regular hours.
2021 Official Plan and Bylaw Information
Dear North Shore Residents and Property Owners, A Planning Board meeting was held, Thursday Sept 2, 2021 at 6pm, where the Planning Board voted in favor to recommend the updated drafts of the 2021 Official Plan and 2021-02 LandUse Bylaws to Council for approval. Council will have a first and second reading and adoption of the documents and move to final Ministerial Approval. The recommended drafts are available by clicking here, or under Municipal Governance, Council, Bylaws and Policies. Thank-you to everyone for being a part of this process. 
As the Province is easing Covid-19 restrictions we are working towards providing safe ways to return to business. The municipal office is now open, all visitors must sign in with name and contact number to allow for contract tracing if necessary. Please stay home if you are feeling unwell and/or are experiencing a sore throat, cough, or fever. Visitors are reminded that masks are mandatory and to wash their hands upon arrival and to maintain social distance while in the building. The playgrounds are now open to the public, at your own risk. Please be advised the playgrounds are not regularly sanitized, please ensure children are washing/sanitizing before and after play to help stop the spread! Council and Committee Meetings will now be open to the Public while ensuring we are abiding by the CPHO rules on number of occupants and social distancing. Please check on your neighbours and if there is any way the Municipality can help please call the office. (902) 672-2600 Stay safe and healthy! ??Did You Know??
You must have a Wetland Alteration Permit from the Province to cut any trees or vegetation within 15m of a watercourse, this includes trees and bushes along the Promenade on Bayshore Rd. 
TEST YOUR WATER ANNUALLY 1) Pick up your water test kits at the North Shore Community Centre or PEI Analytical Laboratories. 2) Deliver the cool, same-day samples to PEI Analytical Laboratories at 23 Innovation Way, Charlottetown (off Upton Road, across from the Industrial Park). |
Facebook Feed
To: Residents of the Rural Municipality of North Shore
Re: Update from Parks Canada regarding Watts Road boardwalk in Prince Edward Island National Park As a valued neighbor, we want to provide you with an update regarding the boardwalk located at Watts Road in PEI National Park. Parks Canada originally notified the Rural Municipality of North Shore in the spring of 2019 of intentions to decommission the boardwalk infrastructure at Watts Road. The boardwalk has reached the end of its lifecycle and poses a safety hazard to visitors. At that time, an invitation for feedback regarding alternative solutions for the area was made. Further notification to the Municipality of plans to decommission the boardwalk was issued in spring 2020, followed by correspondence with the Municipality and residents to engage and inform interested parties. The Municipality was notified again in June of 2021, and a letter was distributed to neighbors. Since that time, Parks Canada has received further input from Municipal Council and community members, including residents of Watts Road, sharing how important this area is, expressing concerns as well as interest in the opportunity to both learn more and provide input to the process of determining the viability of future coastal access options at Watts Road. This feedback is important to us and, in light of it, Parks Canada has currently paused the decommissioning of this infrastructure. Parks Canada has a legislated mandate to protect ecological integrity, and is among the few national parks systems in the world that have a system-wide ecological integrity monitoring and reporting program, consisting of more than 700 scientific measures that inform park-specific priorities and guide restoration action. Wetland habitat in PEI National Park has been flagged as an area of concern for protection, as the current trend for ecological integrity of tertiary dune and wetland habitat is decreasing. Wetlands are considered sensitive to human activities and even minimal disturbance can result in negative impacts. The existing boardwalk intersects a wetland and cranberry bog, and as such, replacing infrastructure in this protected area does not align with Parks Canada’s ecological integrity mandate. The removal of this infrastructure would also improve the integrity of coastal dune ecosystems (both tertiary dune and fore dune), and improve the resilience of our coastline to climate change impacts such as increased coastal erosion and inland flooding. By protecting and restoring healthy, resilient ecosystems, Canada’s network of protected areas form part of a natural solution for climate change. Parks Canada has an integrated approach known as the zoning system for classifying areas administered by the Agency according to ecosystem and cultural resource protection requirements, and their capability and suitability to provide opportunities for visitor experiences. As outlined in the 2017 PEI National Park Management Plan[1], PEI National Park at Watts Road is a Zone I Special Preservation Area. Zone I is the most protected category in the Parks Canada zoning system. This zone is applied to areas of the park that are among the best examples of the features that represent the natural region, or that support outstanding or rare natural or cultural features. This zone may also be used to protect areas that are too sensitive to accommodate facility development or large numbers of visitors. Within Zone I areas, preservation is the primary management concern. The PEI National Park Management Plan (2017) outlines key strategies, objectives and targets to guide park management and decision making. In developing the plan, Parks Canada consulted extensively with First Nations, Islanders and Canadians. Key Strategy 2 of the plan explicitly states the following:
Parks Canada is committed to working with the Municipality, residents of the area, and other interested parties to identify a viable solution that may enable low-impact coastal access at Watts Road while also ensuring protection of the ecological integrity of this sensitive area of PEI National Park. Any alternate option proposed for shore access at Watts Road will need to reflect Special Preservation Area zoning, be sustainable and low impact with no built infrastructure, and align with the Management Plan as well as Parks Canada’s ecological integrity mandate and goal of reducing our footprint in this sensitive wetland area. Final decisions and plans, including decommissioning of the boardwalk, are currently on hold to provide time for engaging the community, receiving input from interested parties, and evaluating all feedback. Parks Canada has been in discussion and has had ongoing correspondence with several property owners on Watts Road and will continue these conversations. Over the next several weeks, Parks Canada will continue to meet informally with Watts Road land owners and interested parties to discuss the infrastructure, coastal access, concerns and priorities, and to share information on Parks Canada’s legislated mandate to improve the ecosystem health of PEI National Park. Park Canada also plans to work with the Rural Municipality of North Shore to launch an online survey to collect feedback and to host a facilitated focus group, comprised of representatives from Parks Canada and the Rural Municipality of North Shore. Should you have any further questions on this process, please contact pc.parcscanadaipe-parkscanadapei.pc@canada.ca. Sent by Jennifer Stewart, External Relations Manager On behalf of Karen Jans Field Unit Superintendent Parks Canada PEI |
