On June 8—World Ocean Day—dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Prince Edward Island legislature, demanding to speak to Premier Dennis King. As the noontime rally got underway, local musician Allan Rankin’s tune “The Disappearing Island” piped in over a portable speaker. A group of Island women called the O Beautiful Gaia singers, committed to protecting the environment, joined their voices in harmony. The demonstrators were calling for an immediate moratorium on a controversial cottage development in an area called Point Deroche. “Talk with us,” event emcee James Rodd said, inviting the premier.
In September 2020, the PEI cabinet approved the sale of an oceanfront property of 17.5 acres to 251 Kelpie Lane Inc., later identified as a company owned by Jesse and Julia Rasch, a couple from Ontario. A clause in the province’s Lands Protection Act prohibits non-Island residents from owning more than five acres of land, but the cabinet can overrule the clause, which they did in this case. Soon, a massive summer home, comprised of four separate buildings, was approved for development on the site, located along one of the Island’s most iconic beaches. Locals say the development is an eyesore and imperils access to the beach at high tide. The situation has rankled scores of Islanders. For many of them, their history and identity have been shaped by contested land ownership, the meddling influence of outsiders, and a sacrosanct belief in their right to roam the Island’s beaches unimpeded.
