Battle for Hastings FAQs

Here are some answers to some questions I’ve encountered:

1. Why now --since the storm happened over thirty years ago-- why would you conduct this campaign now, after all this time has passed?

We’ve never stopped fighting to use our land.  

My father G.D. Body contacted and consulted many people on our rights: provincial politicians, lawyers, and various county bureaucrats from 1985 to 1991.  My brother Michael died in 1992 and my dad more or less gave up.  

We, and our friends and family, have been continually harassed by anonymous people calling the OPP to have us escorted off our land whenever we would visit and go for a swim and generally hang out. The tipping point came in the summer of 2013 when again the police were called on me, my husband and our 2 preschool children (and our dog Jenny!  Not nice).  I wrote a letter to the editor of the Simcoe Reformer to let Norfolk County know how I felt about this outrageous harassment.  You can read it in its entirety in the post below.  What I didn't mention is that I had invited my parents to visit their own property on the beach, for the first time in years.  My mother felt very uncomfortable about the hostile atmosphere on Hastings Dr. and left.  I was heartbroken, because this was their property, and they couldn't even enjoy a brief outing there. 

Unfortunately there are some vocal cottage owners (most of whom bought their properties AFTER the storm of 1985, so I’ve been made aware) who are adamant that we should not use our land.  They continually write to Norfolk County Council and anyone else who will listen, to complain about us.  We need to get Hastings Dr. rezoned to match the rest of Long Point and make it fair for all.

And of course, compared to twenty-five or thirty years ago, it’s much easier to reach people and raise awareness of issues through social media, etc.

2. What about the rest of Long Point – we’ve been harassed by authorities too?

The rest of Long Point has not seen the stigmatization that Hastings Dr. has, and anyone who is familiar with the history of the area knows that.  Once Hastings Dr, is on an EQUAL footing with the rest of Long Point, we can talk about protecting all of our property rights collectively.  But until then, Hastings Dr. is the focus.  It would be great to see the residents of Long Point and environs supporting us!

3. Aren’t you concerned about the dynamic beach and environmentally sensitive aspects of rebuilding on Hastings?

We, who have lost so much, are far more aware than anyone about what is needed if we can rebuild.  We have been in lengthy consultations with Deltec Homes, who build green hurricane homes.  Since they began in 1968 they have not lost a single home to storms, including hurricane Katrina.  Their buildings far surpass anything standing in Long Point today.  Also, my husband is a field biologist and lifelong conservationist.  We care about the wetlands and species diversity.  

That is why we are shocked and appalled at the management of the Big Creek Marsh by the Canadian Wildlife Service.  Phragmites australis has invaded the whole of the marsh – when I was a child one could see open water – but now it is nothing but a green desert. Research the devastating effects of phragmites.  We care, and we are the stewards of our land.  We can manage it better than anyone else.

4. How will the authorities be able to rescue you if another big storm comes along?

Other than by water, the Causeway is the only way out for EVERYONE in Long Point, not just Hastings Dr. residents.  It is the County’s responsibility that the road is in the terrible shape it is.  They need to fix the road, and that has been an ongoing concern for many years.  As written in OMB case PL090265-Smith, whereby the Board ordered Norfolk County to rezone hazard land so Mr. Smith could build:

“The Board has been told that the Long Point presently contains over 800 seasonal homes, many camp sites, and public recreational facilities. Although the whole of the Long Point is designated Hazard Land, all these facilities and installations have been allowed to remain with no restrictions, notwithstanding the “hazard conditions”. Are they not all subject to the same risk factors in a potential flood event with respect to traffic over the causeway? Would four new seasonal dwellings substantially increase the “public risk” factor? The Board has determined, through the evidence, that the proposal will not increase the risk and any potential increase would be manageable by any public mass evacuation system presently in effect.”