Lake Erie erosion in Haldimand is an ongoing challenge

Unless you've personally had to deal with it, lakeshore erosion isn't generally something people think about when it comes to buying beachfront property.

That was certainly the case for Bob Thomas.

When we moved down here, we had no clue that this was an issue," he said.

Thomas is president of the Mohawk Heights Estates Association, which serves a community of 32 lots. As a group, they own two sections of lakeshore property in Lowbanks, close to Rock Point.

The larger section used to have beach access via a slope. However, as the years went on and the waves of Lake Erie ate away at the shoreline, the slope is now gone.

Today, It's a sand bluff, or a dirt bluff. The park, as we call it, (is a grassy area) about 30 feet above the water, and that's where we're getting the worst of the erosion," Thomas said. He estimates that they've lost about 10 feet of land in the five years he's been there.

The group wants to re-slope the shoreline to once again allow them beach access.

We can't even use our property that we're paying for," Thomas said.

He said part of the problem is that it's unclear which permit they require from the Grand River Conservation Authority and whether they have to hire a coastal engineer to do a report before they can do the work.

James Kaspersetz knows Thomas and the others in the association aren't the only lakeshore property owners who are finding the permission processes for shoreline work to be onerous.

He used to own a cottage with some shoreline, and when the break wall needed repair, he had to go through the process.

There's no clear standard; in a way, it's kind of like negotiation" to determine what work does and doesn't need permits and engineering studies, said Kaspersetz of his experience.

That's why he started circulating a petition asking for a more streamlined process; he would like to see a standard put in place that would allow property owners to do work without having to go through the permitting and engineer study process, up to a certain point. He said this would allow greater flexibility in the permit and final inspection process."

Kaspersetz plans to present his petition to Conservation Ontario, as well as the local conservation authorities that oversee the Lake Erie shoreline within Haldimand County, namely Grand River, Niagara Peninsula and Long Point Region, in the fall.

Those who wish to sign it can email him at kaspersetz@gmail.com.

Kaspersetz said he's been getting a lot of positive feedback from lakeshore residents on his efforts; in fact, he said, it's what convinced him to run for council in Ward 5 in the upcoming municipal election.

Cam Linwood, supervisor of strategic communications with the Grand River Conservation Authority, said that his organization became aware of the petition through the Sachem's inquiry for a response to it.

He said in an email that The (authority) is committed to working with property owners to deal with their individual proposals to ensure that their specific issues are addressed," in accordance with provincial regulations and guidelines.

Linwood also noted that a shore protection design by a qualified coastal engineer would be required when, due to the scope, nature, and location of the proposed shoreline development, failure of the shore protection may result in extensive damage to property and/or loss of life.

This report is used examine alternatives to determine an adequate solution to address the specific hazards at the site, while considering the local conditions in consultation with the landowner."

More information can be found online at grandriver.ca.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: When we heard about a petition to streamline the process for residents to get permission from local conservation authorities to do shoreline protection and access work along Lake Erie, we wanted to know what the process is like now.