An engineer from Bedford who claimed to be pro-environment in February faces charges for allegedly causing extensive damage to a large swathe in Upper Tantallon’s wetland.
A city development officer reported last September that grading work and elevation work had been done at 105 Westwood Blvd without a permit. Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change issued a warrant for the search of the site. There had not been any authorizations to alter the wetlands on the property.
According to Tracy Barron, who represents Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, the department has brought charges against Peter Beaini and his company (3308067 Nova Scotia Limited). The charges relate to the infilling a wetland in Upper Tantallon between Sept. 22 and December 6, 2021.
The charges include violating the Environment Act or regulations under Section 158 relating to wetland and watercourse alteration as well as contravening an inspector’s directive.
Beaini is due to appear in Halifax provincial Court on June 30,
“I haven’t done anything wrong”
In February, the Bedford engineer downplayed his involvement in the investigation.
Beaini, who had planned to build 20-unit senior housing on the site, spoke briefly Wednesday.
He said, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Pam Lovelace, Deputy Mayor, fears more wetlands could become damaged by developers trying to create more housing around the city.
Lovelace stated that we are in a market right now where any piece land is available at any ridiculously high price to build any kind or dwelling. We are in a housing crisis. Therefore, people who want to develop their property to make top dollar are moving forward with it regardless of whether they have permits. It is a terrible way to paint law-abiding developers.
She stated that they are subject to regulations.
Lovelace, who represents Hammonds PlainsSt., said that there are also people who just go in and cause destruction and don’t care about the consequences of potential flooding. Margarets.
Residents in the area tipped her off last year about work at 105 Westwood Boulevard.
They replied, “Hello, we want to find out what’s going on.” Why is this road being built? Lovelace said.
She called the city’s planning department to discuss the issue.
Planning staff went in, took a look, and then said, Ooh, this looks bad, Lovelace said.
On Sept. 21, the city issued a stop-work order for the property. A provincial environment inspector and a specialist in wetland visited the property the next day.
They also noticed a road was built on the site.
This road was blocked by an F150 pickup truck without plates, Derrick Peverill of Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change wrote in His application for a warrant search the site.
Inspectors further into the property noted large areas of disturbance and poor grading, with large areas of soils exposed. Further inspection revealed large areas of disturbed wetland.
Peverill said that they observed soils, peat, large areas of standing waters more than a metre in depth, all of which are indicators of wetlands.
The inspector stated that trenches had been dug at several locations on the property in an apparent attempt to drain the water.
He also found plants at the site that indicated a wetland. These species included red maple, black spruce, alders and cotton grass, as well as false holly and alders.
Peverill, a wetland specialist from the province, stated that the altered areas were most definitely wetland and that significant alteration had taken place at the property in different locations.
There were large areas of soils exposed on the property, in addition to the wetland fill. However, no sediment or erosion control measures had been put in place. These areas had steep cut banks and grades, which could have led to silt entering the property’s watercourses and remaining wetlands. The property appeared to have no efforts to control siltation at the time the inspection was conducted.
Five-person team of provincial experts took measurements, soil samples, photos, and other measures at the site during mid-November.
The property was seized with samples of wetland plants, including lamb kill, leather leaves and cotton grass.
Lovelace said that the city should have more authority to conduct such an investigation on its own and quicker.
She said that the delay was terrible. We went through summer and fall, winter, and now we are in spring again, which was prime time for these habitats where there is breeding going.
Lovelace added that wetlands are also natural holding ponds for stormwater mitigation.
She said that if we remove this, we have more flooding risks.
