The construction of the Moncton causeway in 1968, to give the inhabitants of the town a route across the river, has devastated not only the wildlife and fish population, but it has also suppressed the great tidal bore.

Yet, I know many people that have built houses on the shore of the Petitcodiac Lake. If causeway is to be removed, what would happen to the beautiful views they are now enjoying?

What do you have to say on the subject?

dude who cares its not the citys fault that rich poeple are rich.

                                                                        -skater12

I GUESS WE WILL STILL BE DEBATING THIS ISSUE IN 2050.  LET'S OPEN THE GATES ONCE AND FOR ALL.  WOW!!!!! WE HAVE A LAKE IN RIVERVIEW, SO THE GREAT HEINEST OF THE RIVERVIEW PEOPLE CAN ENJOY A VIEW ON THEIR BACKYARD DECK WHEN THEY BARBECUE 2 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR.. WHAT ABOUT A RIVER IN MONCTON, DIEPPE, AND ALL THE WAY TO DORCHESTER.  IT IS GETTING WORST EVERY YEAR.  AND TO YOU, NANCY HOAR, OBVIOUSLY YOU LOVE LAKES.  YOU CAN ALWAYS MOVE TO ONTARIO. YOU COULD HAVE YOUR OWN PRIVATE LAKE WITHOUT DISTROYING A RIVER AND THE WHOLE ECO SYSTEM.

REN.

Man that thing has got to go.The only people who want to keep it are the people who live on the head pon, that's pretty obvious to every one. I would pay damn good money to see Madame Hoar and Daniel Leblanc go head to head in a Petitcodiac mud wrestle. Winner can do what they want with the damn thing.

Hello from Bristol, UK. I had the pleasure of living on and near the Lake / River / Pond for  20 years..and I can Truly say that is one of the attributes you have in the greater Moncton area. Yes..the Liberal G'vt made a huge mistake in 1968 but to try and correct it even your great great grand children wouldn't benefit. Do you realize how much work and the exorbitant costs there would be in dredging from the Causeway down to get rid of the silt and build up? I RECKON  NOT!

I'm proud to call myself a Maritimer and aCanadian...and if I come back some day and see the Lake has gone...well i just won't come back again.

To Nancy Hoar and her committee..all the best of LUCK...because you're going to need it. The francais contigent that came to U de M from Quebec (looking for funding anyway they could) chose the Petitcodiac River Project as their way to drain our tax dollars and Mr. Kennedy ( as all Americans) not happy unless they meddle in everyone else's business.

Since coming to the UK I've found waterways very scarce and would love to be able to enjoy Lake Petitcodiac as I did with my family and friends in the past. The old saying ..." You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone". To the members of the Greater Monton Marina as well "Hats Off" to you.

Think very carefully Mr. Politician. I worked on Mr. Al Cavanaughs Campaign the year he lost the election and a month prior to Election Day I told him he would lose because of the governments stance ( or non thereof) on the lake. Don't use it as a political football. Use common sense and let the new and vibrant ecology that has grown in the Petitcodiac Lake watershed continue to grow and prosper and allow our children's children to enjoy this habitat of waterfowl and other animals that now live there.

Tashi Delek

Rockin' Ron

The Caueway is a perennial issue in Moncton. Ever since the it was built in 1968, and was built to prevent flooding of agricultural lands, provide road access across the river, and create a recreational lake.

There has since been a long debate centered around  what effects this is having on the regional ecosystem and what to do to  revitalize the river's estuarine ecosystem? It is my sense that no consensus have been reached. The jury is still out...

However,(let me jump a head a little) that photo on the front page this morning is a grim reminder of what is possible.

Dear "Hello from Bristol",

I have been listening to this debate since I moved to Moncton 13 years ago with great interest. I have spent alot of time reading the various theories and plans regarding the future of the Petitcodiac in that time and would consider myself more knowledgable on the subject of the "causeway dilemma" than the average local resident.

I will start by saying that I understand both arguements and can sympathize with both sides. I grew up boating on the lake with friends and have many fond memories of my time there. I also grew up the son of a PhD level environmental scientist and now personally work in engineering design. So I have a fairly unique perspective of the situation. My technical background, environmental knowledge, and childhood enjoyment of the lake have allowed me to see, understand and experience many angles of this nearing 40-year-old debate.

Nancy Hoar has a valid point about the lake being an appealing locating which provides an aquatic recreational playground for all who wish to use it. It has created some VERY beautiful properties, the owners of which paid good money to be situated on a fresh water lake. She has also pointed out the enormous costs associated with the removal of the causeway and the risks of reverting the river back to a tidal state.

Daniel LeBlanc argues that the causeway has destroyed the once beautiful tidal river, eliminated the salmon stocks, and should have never been built in the first place. LeBlanc's stance is that since it was a mistake to build it the only responsible thing to do is try to undo the damage already done, or at the very least, stop it from getting any worse.

Both party's have strong, supported arguements for their cause. Unfortunately the facts of the matter are that if something is not done to fix the problem of the ever-rising silt levels in the river (on both sides) there won't be anything left at all.

The salt-water side will close in on itself and eventually receed back to the river mouth resulting in a large, unusable field that would still need bridges over it due to the unstable nature of the ground.

The fresh-water lake's bottom has been rising constantly since the day the causeway was built. I can remember noticing a change in the depth of the river on the boats deapth-gauge from year to year. The average depth was decreasing. This has since been proven by numerous parties. If things remain unchanged the lake will inevitably dry up, leaving everyone without their lakeside properties anyways...

I am not saying either side is right or wrong, I am saying SOMETHING has to be done. I would never support the fanatics who want to "just blow up the causeway", but if the problems are not actively addressed then everything people are fighting for on either side of the debate will be lost.

The old river will be irrecoverable and the current eco-system will be destroyed. I don't want to see it all lost forever because two people and their supporters can't stop arguing long enough to hear what eachother have to say. If they can't come to a conclusion soon there won't ba ANYTHING left to fight about.

  it a very easy answer  money  and vote to certain parties talk and bullshit walks    so guess who always win

I dunno...who me! The ones who win are the one who are lining their deep pockets.

I dunno...who me! The ones who win are the one who are lining their deep pockets Like Ian Fowler and his morons.

I dunno...uhm...let me think? Me!

wrote:

Hello from Bristol, UK. I had the pleasure of living on and near the Lake / River / Pond for  20 years..and I can Truly say that is one of the attributes you have in the greater Moncton area. Yes..the Liberal G'vt made a huge mistake in 1968 but to try and correct it even your great great grand children wouldn't benefit. Do you realize how much work and the exorbitant costs there would be in dredging from the Causeway down to get rid of the silt and build up? I RECKON  NOT! I'm proud to call myself a Maritimer and aCanadian...and if I come back some day and see the Lake has gone...well i just won't come back again. To Nancy Hoar and her committee..all the best of LUCK...because you're going to need it. The francais contigent that came to U de M from Quebec (looking for funding anyway they could) chose the Petitcodiac River Project as their way to drain our tax dollars and Mr. Kennedy ( as all Americans) not happy unless they meddle in everyone else's business. Since coming to the UK I've found waterways very scarce and would love to be able to enjoy Lake Petitcodiac as I did with my family and friends in the past. The old saying ..." You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone". To the members of the Greater Monton Marina as well "Hats Off" to you. Think very carefully Mr. Politician. I worked on Mr. Al Cavanaughs Campaign the year he lost the election and a month prior to Election Day I told him he would lose because of the governments stance ( or non thereof) on the lake. Don't use it as a political football. Use common sense and let the new and vibrant ecology that has grown in the Petitcodiac Lake watershed continue to grow and prosper and allow our children's children to enjoy this habitat of waterfowl and other animals that now live there. Tashi Delek Rockin' Ron

I really love the lake. Rockin Ron and myself spent many hours sailing on Lake Petticodiac. I would like to see the lake around for many years to come. My future kids and future grand kids would really like it.

and the lake is awesome for hockey in the winter. I like the lake, but im on the opposite side of this debate. I want the causeway to be opened. why? because the rocking tide coming into Moncton was a real natural wonder that is now gone. even though it will not come back for 50, maybe even 100 years, we still owe it to nature and future generations.

mind you too, i dont have a lakeside property ... so removing causeway will not affect me as much as some people.

it's a tough subject thou...

  the causeway gates should be open right now because of these many fish are dying  and our seals are getting stuck in the mud   we also use to have deer and moose   crossing the river at low tide which is now impossible just because some people like destroying nature

They have fish elevators in the causeway. I saw a few salmon go through. (But not a lot).........(If there were was no causeway or no fish elevators I would not see any salmon because they would be underwater). I challenge anybody to float on the lake and not love the lake afterwards.

notme wrote:

the causeway gates should be open right now because of these many fish are dying  and our seals are getting stuck in the mud   we also use to have deer and moose   crossing the river at low tide which is now impossible just because some people like destroying nature

I have to do a Wuddle Rebuttle.  Those two seals got trapped below the Gunningsville Bridge. They got trapped in the mud as the tide went out. If there was no causeway they might have got trapped ten or fifteen miles up further where the Riverview Fire Department might not have found them.

 well it happens every year that some poor seal get stuck in there    ..

also the mud would not have been so thick  up the river if there would be no causeway so they would not have got stuck at all

iin other words there is no reasonable explaination to keep the causeway    btw even the causeway in memramcook should be open we use too have all kind of fish spawning in our lakes  , we had sea trout ,smelt, etc going up the brooks and rivers before those stupid causeway and now most lakes and rivers are fish dead

The Causeway debate will probably be debated for a long time to come. In fact, it will probably, maybe, take longer than the passing of the civil rights bill of 1964, one of the longest continuous debate in Senate history. Or better yet, it may even be longer than the debate over Rights and the Emancipation of the Jewish people.
So, if you are good at holding your breath, you may want to let go now because it'g going to be a long time coming, sorry folks.

 i have to agree with you jackie    it going to be a long wait because politics are involved   nobody wants to lose a vote

I love the lake but I love nature better. If you want to blast the causeway all to frig then please do it. Get it over with. I will cry for two days. Then I will sail the muddy river. I love the lake and the river. Wahoooooo.....Be kind in your judgement of the situation.

Hey Jackie..Can I piss you off??.........No Jewish people were hurt in the making of the causeway..........Loves ya.

OMW.....Wuddle...there weren't any moose hurt in the making of the causeway...so whats your point?

Sorry couldn't resist. Finally got an official name for this site. Cheers from Bristol m8.

Hey Ron, wassnew? I was just letting the coffee brew talk and turn me into a ventriloquist dummy again a few nights back. I figured I'd try to bug Jackie at the same time.