Green's Point Lighthouse Causeway Erosion Threatens Tourism Season

Thousands of visitors make their way to the iconic Green's Point Lighthouse in L'Etete every year, where you can take in the vast beauty of our region with views of Deer Island and Campobello, and in the far off distance lies Grand Manan. The beloved landmark, however, now faces a significant challenge. A series of harsh winter storms have eroded the causeway, complicating access to the historic site. According to Lightkeeper Michael Strong, the real problem is that no one seems to know who built the causeway in the first place or whose responsibility it is to fix it. 

"Because Green's Point is such an iconic part of the community in terms of tourism, in terms of having an active Coast Guard base here for servicing all the lights, channel 14 VHF for Fundy Traffic, helicopter pads, foghorns, all the rest of it," said Strong, "perhaps the solution might be to get all three levels of government to do some sort of a partnership, just as you would for highways, each pay a third or whatever. But I think for the health of community, it needs to be fixed."

Strong fears the jurisdictional complexities surrounding the causeway could delay repairs, ultimately affecting the upcoming summer tourism season. With access hindered, visitors may be deterred from making the journey, potentially impacting the rental of the lightkeeper's cottage, which serves as the primary source of income for the site.

"This year was spectacular in January because we had two back-to-back storms that the backwash--," said Strong. "Actually, the wind came from the Southwest, and we thought, 'Well, the road will be all right because of the ballast rock barrier.' But the waves were so huge, they would break over the barrier, and then the backwash from those waves actually eroded out the other side of the road. At any rate, it's definitely at the point that it needs to be repaired or we'll be challenged in having no access to run Green's Point Light Association, our museum here, and our guest cottage over there. And the Coast Guard will be challenged in not being able to operate channel 14 VHF station, which is right behind you, the foghorn, the helicopter port, and all the rest of the stuff they need."

MP John Williamson of New Brunswick Southwest echoes Strong's concerns and says he's met with all three levels of government in an attempt to address the issue. He believes the Canadian Coast Guard bears the most responsibility. 

"I think the Federal Coast Guard probably has the most ownership of this of this causeway because it has a facility right here at the lighthouse," said MP Williamson. "While this is largely a cultural and historic site for us now, the Coast Guard remains active in the area using this as a marker, a beacon for safe passage in the area. So what I've done, and my office has done, in collaboration with some of the locals here as well, is I've written to the Fisheries Minister and also locally been in touch with the regional DFO. And to date, I can report that the regional people have passed it on to the Coast Guard. I've heard through the grapevine that the Coast Guard has come for an inspection already, and so my office is going to keep on them until we get an answer."

CHCO is currently awaiting statements from the Canadian Coast Guard and provincial department of transportation and will continue to follow this story. In the meantime, Strong hopes that Green's Point Lighthouse, a beacon of our coastal heritage, will soon shine bright once again.

-Vicki Hogarth, CHCO-TV NewsBreak26, L'Etete, New Brunswick