By Richard Bell
The Cooperator spoke with MP Sean Fraser about the provincial decision to make Owls Head available for sale. Fraser was just returning to his political duties after stepping back to deal with the tragic loss of his infant daughter.
Fraser looks at the Lighthouse Links Development Company’s proposal as yet another decision where striking a balance between economic development and protecting nature is at issue. He spoke fiercely about his personal commitment to protecting the environment: “I am absolutely committed to the protection of nature. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time working on protecting nature [he served a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment in the last Parliament.]”
He noted that the Liberal government is already committed to protecting 17% of Canada’s lands (higher than Nova Scotia’s current 13% target), and that during the most recent campaign, the Liberals promised to raise this target to 25% 2025 and 30% by 2030.
But thus far, he was excited by the economic potential of the Lighthouse Links proposal, provided it met all regulatory requirements. “It’s worth hearing out the investor to make sure they have a fair chance. As Central Nova MP, it’s been a project for me to identify opportunities for growth on the Eastern Shore, and tourism is one opportunity we should be pursuing. If you look at Eastern Shore, it got around 2% of NS’s total tourism revenue last year. When I drive the Shore, I can’t think of an area that’s much more beautiful. With a potential anchor tenant, the beneficiary won’t be just the owner of the golf courses, but all the other tourism operators on the shore, from coffee shops to camp sites to little restaurants.”
In response to a question about the closing of hundreds of golf courses in recent years across Canada and the United States, Fraser said serious golfers were still flocking to “world class” courses, and brought up a comparison with the two Cabot golf courses in Inverness as a model. “Last year, there were about 700 records of employment at the Inverness courses,” Fraser said. “Not all of those were full-time jobs, but it’s still large. If Gilbert builds some world-class golf courses, I can see golfers flying in to Nova Scotia to play the Cabot course one weekend, and then going down to the Eastern Shore. It could put a couple hundred people to work.”
Fraser has known about this project for several years, and thinks highly of the developer, G.S. Beckwith Gilbert. “I was first approached about project as a concept several years ago, and have had a few meetings with proponents,” Fraser said. “I’ve met the developer and he’s a genuine person who really cares about the area. He’s never indicated that he’s looking for public money. He’s not someone who seems to be out to get government to cut a big check. If someone’s willing to invest their own money, I have more faith in the project.”
As to the controversy over the province’s backroom delisting of the property, Fraser said that his information came from the provincial government.
But thus far, he was excited by the economic potential of the Lighthouse Links Development Corporation proposal, provided it met all regulatory requirements. “It’s worth hearing out the investor to make sure they have a fair chance. As Central Nova MP, it’s been a project for me to identify opportunities for growth on the Eastern Shore, and tourism is one opportunity we should be pursuing. If you look at Eastern Shore, it got around 2% of NS’s total tourism revenue last year. When I drive the Shore, I can’t think of an area that’s much more beautiful. With a potential anchor tenant, the beneficiary won’t be just be the owner of the golf courses, but all the other tourism operators on the shore, from coffee shops to camp sites to little restaurants.”
In response to a question about the closing of hundreds of golf courses in recent years across Canada and the United States, Fraser said serious golfers were still flocking to “world class” courses, and brought up a comparison with the two Cabot golf courses in Inverness as a model. “Last year, there were about 700 records of employment at the Inverness courses,” Fraser said. “Not all of those were full-time jobs, but it’s still large. If Gilbert builds some world-class golf courses, I can see golfers flying in to Nova Scotia to play the Cabot course one weekend, and then going down to the Eastern Shore. It could put a couple hundred people to work.”
Fraser has known about this project for several years, and thinks highly of the developer, G.S. Beckwith Gilbert. “I was first approached about project as a concept several years ago, and have had a few meetings with proponents,” Fraser said. “I’ve met the developer and he’s a genuine person who really cares about the area. He’s never indicated that he’s looking for public money. He’s not someone who seems to be out to get government to cut a big check. If someone’s willing to invest their own money, I have more faith in the project.”
As to the controversy over the province’s backroom delisting of the property, Fraser said that his information came from the provincial government, that the land was not formally protected.
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