Parks Canada’s Hurricane Dorian cleanup work on the Cavendish Campground and the main beach is being impeded by unwanted sightseers.
“When they spot people on the site everyone has to drop their chainsaws and shut down for 15 minutes,” Mayor Matthew Jelley told councillors at the Resort Municipality’s monthly council meeting on Sept 16.
“Under their labor laws and codes it’s (hurting) cleanup right now.”
These people are being treated as “trespassers” when they show up, said Mr Jelley in his update.
Mayor Jelley went on to say Parks Canada is bringing in commissionaires to the main beach site to steer people away from areas where restoration work is underway.
A great deal of the cleanup work will be done by the end of the week he said. But Hurricane Dorian has caused tremendous damage to certain areas that will take a long time to bring back to some semblance of normalcy and may even prompt changes that could impact the Resort Municipality’s strategic plan.
For instance 80 per cent of trees have been uprooted and knocked down, falling atop power lines, water lines and sewer lines, he said.
On Sept 16 access was still not possible for workers to 20 per cent of the campground, which will be closed for a prolonged period.
Parks Canada will have to tap cleanup funds through various government agencies.
Mr Jelley met with Parks Canada officials four times since Hurricane Dorian struck the Island, including just before the Sept 16 Council meeting