P.E.I. campground to close permanently due to damage from post-tropical storm Fiona

After 23 years in business, the owner of a popular campground in northwestern Prince Edward Island says he's left with no option but to close permanently because of the damage caused last fall by post-tropical storm Fiona.
Matthew Wedge estimates that the powerful storm, which hit Atlantic Canada in September 2022, caused about $500,000 in damage to the Crystal Beach Campground, in Lower New Annan, P.E.I.
In an interview Monday, Wedge said his insurance won't cover the cost of repairing the site after the coastal storm surge, adding that he hasn't been able to qualify for government assistance either.
"I'm in the situation where I'm going to have to close it, there's no other option," Wedge said. "It's really been a tough pill to swallow."
While the decision is a blow to Wedge and his family, he said it will also have an effect on the local economy. He bought the campground in 2000 from a family that had operated it for close to 40 years, he said.
"I had roughly 180 sites," Wedge said. "The (economic) spinoff from that alone was a lot over the years. A big part of our business was repeat clientele."
Fiona's storm surge and high winds hit the campground's electrical infrastructure, tore up many of the campsites, and sent a pool deck and splash pad crashing into a building housing washrooms and a recreational centre, he said.
"There were huge rocks that were lifted and carried in 10 metres (from shore) with all kinds of other debris."
The location of the 12-hectare property has since been classified as a high-risk coastal area, he said, adding that the new designation prevents him from getting help from the federal government's $300-million Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund. His insurance provider, meanwhile, won't cover storm surge losses -- although it did cover damage sustained at the campground during post-tropical storm Dorian, in 2019.
"I'm thinking there are not going to be many people in the market that are going to want to buy the property given its history and the fact that it's in a high-risk area," Wedge said.
Fiona slammed into the province on Sept. 24, 2022, with winds gusting up to 149 kilometres per hour. It toppled trees, damaged homes, destroyed wharves and eroded large parts of the Island's coastline.
Wedge said he's resigned to the fact that he can't operate a campground at the site "even if I want to."
"I did my best," he said. "At the end of the day I guess I've been climate impacted."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.
-- By Keith Doucette in Halifax.
For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Two Canadian citizens confirmed dead in Antigua: Global Affairs
Global Affairs Canada has confirmed the death of two Canadian citizens in Antigua.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante collapses during press conference
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is 'doing well' but will reduce the pace of her activities over the next few days after collapsing during a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday morning.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Poilievre keeps scoring into the Liberals' empty net
In his column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Pierre Poilievre's new 'Housing Hell' video dealt a 'devastating' blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberals, whose cupboard seems empty of big ideas.
Here is Canada's unseasonably mild December forecast
December is predicted to be unseasonably mild across Canada, thanks to a "moderate-to-strong" El Nino and human-caused warming. Warming and precipitation trends will be stronger in some parts of the country than others, and severe weather is still possible, meteorologists say.
Israel moves into Gaza's second-largest city and intensifies strikes in bloody new phase of the war
Israel said Tuesday that its troops had entered Gaza's second-largest city as intensified bombardment sent streams of ambulances and cars racing to hospitals with wounded and dead Palestinians, including children, in a bloody new phase of the war.
Financial intel agency hands down $7.4M penalty to Royal Bank of Canada
Canada's financial intelligence agency has levied a $7.4-million penalty against the Royal Bank of Canada for non-compliance with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing measures.
U.S. made offer to bring home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. Russia rejected it
The Biden administration has made a new and significant offer aimed at securing the release of American detainees Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but Russia has rejected the offer, the State Department said Tuesday.
'Significant increase' in sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, Statistics Canada reports
Statistics Canada is reporting a 'significant increase' in rates of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) last year. The report also states instances of sexual assault were more prevalent among women.
Question of Speaker Fergus' conduct a matter for House to decide, deputy defers to MPs
MPs should decide whether House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus has impugned his impartiality by making a video in his traditional Speaker's garb that played at a partisan event, Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont ruled Tuesday.