HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-09-25, Page 22 Lakeshore Advance •' Wednesday, September 26, 2013'
There is no dlscrlmlnatlon here, says Armstrong East residents
Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Lakeshore Advance
While the long-standing issue is lack of law
and by-law enforcement at Armstrong East in
Port Franks, residents are willing to put that
on a back burner for a moment so they can
deal with the accusations of discrimination
they read in the Sept. 11th Lakeshore
Advance.
Resident Paul Desalaiz told the Lakeshore
Advance there was a (natter of discrimination
against disabilities at this Port Franks "Island"
community. He cited his wife's disability as
his basis for complaint. Since that article was
published, many, many residents wanted
their voice heard on the same subject.
Matthew Gordon says his grandfather, Rob-
ert Austin along with many family and friends
established the community of Armstrong East
in 1953 as a summer getaway. "All materials
for construction and general living were
brought in by boat and moved by wheelbar-
row and hand. 'chis arrangement existed as a
"gentleman's agreement" until 1989 when an
enterprising individual built a new cottage
and wanted the ability to drive from the dock
area to his cottage. This owner subsequently
brought a 4wd Suzuki Samar! Jeep to the
"island." ']his is where the issue begins. That
owner has sold their property and the new
owners utilize the salve vehicle - claiming
that the vehicle was allowed on the un -as-
sumed road allowances and that they had
grandfathered rights to do so. Council did
nothing when presented with the issue in
1989 and has not taken action until 2010:'
At present, Lambkin Shores council have
suggested these people sit down and come
up with a compromise so the council sloes
not have to make decisions for them.
Having saki that, the issue at hand is com-
bating the very idea there could be discrimi-
nation regarding disabilities in this tight knit
community.
'There are 52 cottagers. To say these people
are passionate about their island community
would be an understatement.
11.M. (Bo) Westlake said he was not in the
practice of airing personal information
regarding his family, but had to explain - in
contradiction to the Sept. 11th remarks from
Desalaiz, stating his wife, who suffers from
Dystonia could not get to their cottage. West-
lake said his 20 -year old grandson has
endured since birth the' most severe form of
Dystonia imaginable. "1 le has never and
never will walk or talk or feed himself. Ile is
permanently wheelchair bound, fed through
a stomach tube and communicates by means
of a computer controlled by his knee. He
graduated from high school this year and one
of his greatest pleasures is to come to the cot-
tage- so he does." Westlake was not looking
for a sympathetic audience; he just wants the
public to know that with special adaptations,
this young Iran can get to the beach. "Th sug-
gest that any of these people would discrimi-
nate against a disabled person is simply
wrong," Westlake said. And the stories
continued.
At 103 years Jean Biehl said, "1 am one of a
very few surviving original cottage owners.
Since a fall five years ago, 1 have been unable
to use our cottage. Until then, for several
years, my daughter pushed me from the river
on a patio stone' path that she laid, using a
wheelbarrow converted with a boat seat,
affectionately called the 'Jeanmobile: It
worked fine and we never considered a vehi-
cle 'solution' for such a special place. All
through the years we did our best to respect
and cherish the dunes we felt so privileged to
have behind us. Allowing Sydney and its
extension into the Pinery to become a regu-
larly driven track adjacent to our cottages
would be very detrimental to the quiet other
owners have valued for decades, as well as
our peace of mind regarding children, pedes-
trian and wheelbarrow usage in a location
remote from paramedic or police assistance:'
This means of transportation is a constant
story with many of the people who weighed
in on how they deal with getting to their
cottages.
Biehl's daughter Nancy explains she laid a
long stone walkway (400-18 inch stone's),
mainly on her own, to allow her mother easy
access to cottage - first with walker, Tater on
"Jeanmobile": "The path now allows easy
wheelbarrow/walking access to many cot-
tages - again to cottagers with arthritis, bypass
surgery, age-related etc. challenges. " She
goes on to say the means of transport for a
man presently building a cottage is walking.
"Many of his materials have been hand -
pulled along it. 'Bee path allows an easy walk
or push - in places, It is broken or disrupted
by vehicle traffic and that makes pushing
harder which is rather unfair;" she says.
Maureen McNiece said her young friend, a
:39 -year old woman, was battling cancer and
wanted to visit McNiece's cottage one more
time.. Since the "Jeaninobile', a person mover,
had already been constructed, that is how
this gravely sick woman got to the cottage. A
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