Homesite Creek campground in Halfmoon Bay has been closed by the region’s provincial recreation officer for failure to meet sanitary and safety standards. The officer has also recommended cancellation of the contract between the province and the campground operator.
Campground operator Debra Kennedy said this week that she believes the closure and cancellation of contract is personal and that there are no sanitary or safety concerns for campers on the site.
She admits there is horse manure and hay spread on three campsites (No. 10, the horse campsite and the group campsite) but said the mixture is meant to help grass grow and isn’t a health concern. She also said the sites wouldn’t be opened to campers until the grass is established.
The other issue raised by the provincial recreation officer for the region, Alistair McCrone, is that of water pipes running from the creek to various locations throughout the campground without a proper water licence. But Kennedy said the pipes have been disconnected and the spigots removed so campers can’t access the water.
McCrone said in an email to Kennedy that she must completely remove all of the horse manure and hay from all campsites, trails and roadways and remove all of the above-ground parts of the water system from the site before he will consider allowing it to reopen.
Kennedy said she’s working on fulfilling the requests this week, but feels the closure is heavy-handed as it’s impacted what is usually a busy camping season that was set to kick off on March 5.
“[McCrone] phoned me at 4:15 p.m. on March 4 to tell me it was closed, at a time where I had no opportunity for rebuttal,” Kennedy said.
Sharon Dean, manager of communications with Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, said Kennedy was given several opportunities to fix the safety and sanitary concerns before the March 4 closure.
“The province has provided numerous opportunities for the site operator to remedy these conditions over the past six months without any success. The requirement to comply with standards for operation of sites is consistent across the province,” Dean said.
Dean would not directly comment on Kennedy’s claim that the closure was personal, only that McCrone is responsible for ensuring recreation sites are safe and sanitary and meet the standards and expectations of the public.
“These standards and expectations are clearly outlined in the agreement between the province and Debra Kennedy, the site operator. Standards for safety and sanitation have not been met at Homesite Creek recreation site,” Dean said.
As for the recommended cancellation of the contract between Kennedy and the province for operation of the Homesite Creek campground, Dean said it’s justified.
“The province has provided numerous opportunities for the site operator to remedy these conditions without any success. The province remains concerned that the site operator is not able or willing to meet the conditions of the agreement and the cancellation is warranted,” Dean said.
“The operator has been provided with and agreed to an opportunity to be heard on the matter, and following that, a final decision will be made.”
