Canouan gate up, deal hammered out

The issue of beach access on Canouan, which had escalated earlier this year, has come to an amicable end, at least for now.

In August and September, picketers on Canouan used vehicles to block the North and East entrances of a resort operated by Canouan Resorts Development (CRD), after the developers tried to erect a gate in an area that provides public access to several of the island’s beaches including Godahl and L’Ance Guyac.

Activist Terry Bynoe

On Wednesday, activist Terry Bynoe told SEARCHLIGHT that last month, protestors, business people and other residents met with CRD management and hammered out a deal which is favourable to both parties.

“We had a discussion and they shared their views and their commitment to the people and villa owners who have bought properties, and what types of vehicles can be used on the compound by the locals and the property owners,” Bynoe told SEARCHLIGHT, while noting that certain standards are in place for driving to the beaches using private vehicles.

Among these standards is that the vehicle must be silver or white and of a certain size. Vehicles like Suzuki Grand Vitaras can be driven on the compound but oversized SUV’s and trucks are not allowed.

Bynoe said that the agreement reached by residents and CRD management states that residents would not be blocked from accessing the beach through the gate which has already been erected and which spurred protests in the first place.

“We can drive…local people who have white or silver coloured vehicles… they (CRD) also agreed to buy two white vans specifically to take persons to and from the beach and they say they will employ persons to drive them and the vehicles will be for persons who don’t have vehicles.

“…So they basically stick to the same thing Mitchell (former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell) had agreed to.

“That was hammered out and they said the gate is to beautify the entrance, so basically all parties have agreed,” Bynoe assured, while adding that since the meeting, no issues have been reported as security personnel seem to now be on the same page with residents in relation to access.

“Once persons are not stopped, we are good, because the lands were leased to them, but access to the beaches is a right for all persons.

“We met across the board half way and it’s a win win for everyone. We want to live in harmony and we don’t always go to the beaches there, so once everyone is allowed and not stopped, we good,” Bynoe noted while adding that he has been reliably informed that the vans spoken about in the meeting have already been ordered.

“They ordered two vans and the gate is up and no problem so far,” Bynoe said on Wednesday.

CRD has a 99-year lease on 1,200 acres of the 1,800 acre island. That lease has been around since about 1990 and was negotiated by the then New Democratic Party (NDP) administration.

Debra Foyle-Snagg, the main organizer of the protests that went viral on social media in August and September said she has not been able to go to the beach since the gate has been erected because she is at home nursing certain injuries.

“The gate is up now and it is not a problem. We came to an agreement in a meeting and they decided the gate would be open at a certain time in the morning and closed at midnight and I don’t have a problem once I can get to the beach,” Foyle-Snagg said.

She however noted that she was told, but was unable to confirm, that someone was denied access recently.

“They would not stop me or Terry, but I think they will still stop other people so that is where the problem will come from.

“But, I am very comfortable once I get to go to the beach, but I will protest if they try to stop me or my family members, children…but protest for others? No. They will have to protest for themselves, because a lot of them were not with me, did not support me when I started the protest,” the outspoken Foyle-Snagg said.