Cabot says proposed golf course would take up more than a third of Cape Breton park

The West Mabou Beach Provincial Park in Cape Breton is pictured. (Ryan MacDonald/CTV News Atlantic)

The Cabot company says its proposed golf course at the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park – a possible development that has stirred up resistance from local residents – would take up more than a third of the green space at the Cape Breton site.

Cabot, which operates a 46-hole golf course in Inverness, N.S., is exploring creating another course 30 minutes away in West Mabou, a park that covers 2.8 square kilometres. It’s home to more than a dozen endangered and rare species.

“Cabot is proposing to operate, maintain, and manage a golf course across no more than 35% of the park land within the provincial park in West Mabou,” Cabot says on their website. “The remaining park land will remain as is, consisting of beach access, beach, recreational trails, and conservation lands.

“Beach access will in no way be restricted, and we are committed to improving beach access for everyone."

Last month Nova Scotia Natural Resources Minister Kim Masland said Cabot had submitted a proposal for the park.

Save West Mabou Beach Provincial Park, a group opposed to the golf course project, said Cabot has tried to develop in the area twice already.

“Cabot Golf just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” their website reads. “But this time, the Houston Government is considering removing protections from West Mabou Beach Provincial Park for a private golf course. Cabot is welcome to build a golf course, but not in our in our provincial park.”

Nadine Hunt, who was part of the previous campaign to stop the golf course development, told The Canadian Press people in the region are angry about the project.

“The anger is amplified even more this time,” Hunt said. “Like, the third time, are you kidding me? This company is coming back for the third time to try to get this park, after being rejected twice? What disrespect does this show for the community?

“We feel powerless. People have said, ‘We’ll be in front of the bulldozers.’ Many, many people have said that. It’s terrible if it’s going to have to come to that.”

Cabot says it will not develop on the beach at Mabou and it will try to mitigate dune erosion in the area.

“To combat dune erosion at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, through the guidance of Audubon environmental experts, we plant marram grass, a naturally occurring species of beachgrass with an extensive root system that allows the plant to trap sand, reinforcing the dunes and making them more resilient to high winds and ocean waves,” the company says. “These measures would help prevent erosion at West Mabou Beach, strengthening our coastline and protecting the habitat for birds that nest in this area.”

Cabot says it employs roughly 800 people in the surrounding Inverness area during the peak season, and it believes a new course in Mabou would increase employment opportunities. It is also proposing spending $125,000 annually to local Mabou organizations.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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