October 20, 2010
2010 FORT ERIE MUNICIPAL ELECTION CANDIDATES’
POSITION ON WATERFRONT ISSUES

Candidate Name: Stephen Passero
Position Sought: Councillor Ward 1

The Ontario Shorewalk Association is seeking comments on your position regarding our public waterfront lands.  Shorewalk is a non partisan association and does not endorse candidates, however your comments will be shared with the public via our website and local media.

1. Shorewalk’s priority goal has been & remains the public’s Right of Passage (walking rights) along all of Ontario’s Great Lakes shores.  To that end our current FE & Niagara Regional Councils have unanimously endorsed MPP Kim Craitor’s Bill 32 calling for Right of Passage on Ontario’s Great Lakes.

Will you support Shorewalk’s Right of Passage efforts during your term of office?

Absolutely. I believe that there are some common goal opportunities to work with residents and property owner associations to enact a right of passage given the right scenarios, and ensuring that the interests of homeowners are protected, and if the town increases bylaw enforcement to ensure their concerns are addressed

2.  Regardless of the direction that the Bay Beach property goes, will you vote at every opportunity to ensure that public access on & thru the property  continues to exist?

Yes.

3.  We welcome your comments regarding construction of a condo on Bay  Beach property.

I will attend every day of the OMB hearing where all arguments, on both sides, will be exhausted. I will always vote for what I think is best for Greater Fort Erie, taking into account all available information, and consultation with residents and stakeholders.

4.  Shorewalk  worked tirelessly with staff to develop a Waterfront Road Allowance by-law that was enacted by Council.  It calls for:

i removal of encroachments (fences, hedges, landscaping works, etc) from public road allowances.

ii prohibition of any future encroachments.

Will you continue to uphold the bylaw?

Having fought for council to uphold the bylaw when the first 4 encroachment cases came before them, I know first hand the importance of maintaining this consistency as future road allowances are surveyed and encroachments identified. As per the bylaw, I will uphold ‘No New Encroachments’.

5.  The Town  staff, with council support and funding, have initiated a waterfront road allowance enhancement program that includes;

a) welcome signs
b) directional signs from the Friendship Trail
c) line of sight demarcation
d) prohibition of vehicles on road allowances except for boat launch suitable sites 
e) benches & bike racks where appropriate

Would you continue to support these initiatives with adequate funding through the budget?

All opportunities for enhancement to these road allowances should be identified and associated costs brought forward in a staff report for consideration at budget time. There are many areas that can be improved at what I believe are minimal cost given the benefit that they will provide. Road allowances that are not boat launches should be pedestrian only, and only accessible by town vehicles and emergency personnel.

6.  Through the support of council, money has been allocated to review surveys of all road allowances to identify encroachment situations (private residents utilizing the public road allowance as addition to their property).  All surveys have been completed but require staff time to review and identify encroachments.

Would you identify the completion of these reviews as a priority so that access to our waterfront can be increased?

Yes. If nothing else, both sides to the Bay Beach argument have stated a desire to maintain/improve public access. These road allowances offer us that opportunity. I will work to convince my fellow councillors of the importance to having these surveys completed, encroachments removed – and then improvements begun.

7.  Full public access by road to Point Abino lighthouse continues to be denied by the Point Abino Association. 

What are your thoughts on this situation?

Negotiations arriving at the PAA agreement have always been discussed during closed session of council so I do not know the specifics of what goes into the eventual agreement, and the opportunities or challenges that exist. If there is a legitimate opportunity to increase access, I will do whatever I can to work towards it.

We thank you for your participation & invite additional comments on waterfront issues.

Shorewalk has and will continue to be a trusted voice at council. Keep up the great work.

 

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