Council wants land sale to be investigated

The municipality originally sold the land (300) acres to the South West Shore Development Authority (which is affiliated with the YAIS) in 2005 for $66,000. A few weeks after, it voted to give a $66,000 grant to SWSDA to help promote economic development.

SWSDA planned on having the land used for a model mink ranch that it said had the potential for adding $75 million to the local economy. That project never came to be.

On Aug. 24 the Clyde River Land-Use committee packed council chambers for the second consecutive meeting of council to voice their concerns about mink farming by the new owners.

Spokesperson Doug Brannen said the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency prepared and submitted a screening report for the initial YAIC project on the land. “We know that the initial proposal was for a well managed, state-of-the-art, environmentally compliant, not-for-profit breeding facility and we know that the initial proposal included plans for a sewage system to handle waste produced as a result of farming mink. “We know from the plan submitted to the municipality to building inspectors that there will be no sewage system treatment facility on this land,” said Brannen. “This site is clearly on a wetland area. The whole area is a bog. The report cites 22 species at risk from development within a five kilometer radius of the project site.”

The committee requested the municipality withdraw or suspend the building permit awarded to Larry Nickerson for the purpose of locating a mink ranch in Clyde River until such a time that the municipality can consult with provincial and federal environmental inspectors to determine if the existing recommendations should be followed or if a new screening report should be done.

Council discussed at length then passed several motions after the presentation including a motion to rescind an earlier resolution giving the YAIC an option to purchase an additional 300 acres of land.

Councillor O’Donnell also made the motion to have the sale of the land from the YAIS to the new buyers be investigated by an independent body holding authority over the governance of municipal council activities. “We’re trying to connect the dots, but the lines just don’t meet,” said Brannen.