Piles of dirt removed from Grand Manan shore after blocking harbour views for years

Shane Fowler · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 3:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 9

Large piles of dredged-up stone and ungraded from a failed operation task connected Grand Manan Island person each but disappeared from the shoreline.

The debris sat for years, blocking the expansive views of the North Head harbour and fisherman's wharf from edifice patios and residences.

In astatine slightest 1 case, the unsightly piles contributed to the closure of a café.

"It's incredibly frustrating that it got cleaned up that rapidly aft waiting that agelong for thing to happen," said Kim Shoefelt, who lives astir a five-minute locomotion from the sit.

When the cleanup was yet done, it took lone 2 oregon 3 days, helium said, but things were mislaid during the "drawn-out" wait.

"We mislaid our favourite small café java shop." 

The Old Well Head Café closed its doors and the proprietor near the land successful the Bay of Fundy earlier this year, contempt spending about $200,000 connected gathering upgrades.

The piles of stone obscured views and discouraged tourists and patrons, proprietor Kiera Dall'Ostro has said.

WATCH | Say goodbye to the large piles of ungraded blocking the views connected Grand Manan: 

Last Friday, the Village of Grand Manan sent an email to quality organizations saying it was taking enactment to get the stone piles removed truthful the views could beryllium restored. 

"The Village of Grand Manan has begun enactment to cleanable up the tract of the North Head wharf project," wrote Chris Rayner, the main administrative serviceman for the village.

Rayner said the colony had signed a memorandum of knowing with the national Department of Public Services and Procurement.

"The Village supports infrastructure improvement and improvements successful our assemblage and looks guardant to the wharf task completion," helium wrote. "In the meantime, it is bully to person this country restored for the enjoyment of residents and tourists alike." 

Failed wharf

The chromatic and ungraded were dug up from North Head harbour arsenic portion of a caller wharf operation task that was expected to beryllium completed successful January 2023, according to the presumption of the $15.8-million national declaration awarded successful 2021 to Greenfield Construction. 

According to Public Services and Procurement Canada, the occupation was taken "out of the contractor's hands" successful the autumn of 2024, and the contractor's bonding institution was notified astatine the aforesaid time.  

"Since that clip the national section has been successful discussions with the bonding institution "to guarantee the enactment resumes astatine the earliest opportunity, but parties person not reached a mutually beneficial solution," said a written connection provided by Janie Haché connected behalf of the department.

"As a result, we bash not yet person a docket for the completion of the remainder of the work."