An island in a stream of development

Weekly Journal Staff

Orleans Weekly Journal

5 September 1998

PROLOGUE: Petrie Islands — they’re a simple expanse of sandbars dipping into the Ottawa River just north of Cumberland’s Trim Road. Yet they’ve become the sight of developers’ dreams — the potential anchor for an interprovincial bridge between Masson-Angers and Cumberland, the possible.site of a marina complex and amphitheatre and the favoured spot for picnic parks. nature trails and a beach. In the months to come, the Weekly Journal will present a series of articles focusing on the issues surrounding the islands’ development. In the first of this series, Julia Fields examines Petrie Islands’ historical relevance within the community.

Jean-Louis Grandmaitre remembers Petrie Islands as his childhood paradise.

Every year, he and his two brothers would explore the forests, chasing after frogs and snakes. They would climb up the mountainous sand dunes. They would cool off in the swampy pools, which were then clear and unpolluted.

"We spent our summers here. We’d go boating and skiing. We always played on the sandbanks and the beach," he reminisces.

Grandmaitre’s family owned the islands from 1955 until 1983. His grandfather Donat purchased them from a Cumberland farmer to open a sand extraction and gravel operation, which Jean-Louis now runs on the east side of the main island under a lease agreement with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton.

The investment brought the Grãndmaitres good fortune, both in terms of a livelihood and fond memories of summers spent in the family’s private cottages.

Historically the 275 acres of islands provide the basic necessities of life. Villagers purchased half- or quarter-acre treed lots for firewood, remembers 72-year-old Allan Findlay, a longtime Cumberland resident.

In winter, people would haul away two-or three-foot thick ice blocks, which they would then store in ice houses for refrigeration, he adds.

And in 1943, John James Farmer and Gerard Bouthillier had the good fortune to secure exclusive hunting and trapping rights for the site.

After the Grandmaitres purchased the property in 1955, however, the east side of the main island (which is not protected wetlands) was used for more commercial purposes.

Although exact dates are unknown, Jean-Louis thinks the area around the island’s causeway was once a garbage dump for the City of Vanier. It is possible the waste is still buried there, he adds.

The sand extraction company has continued to operate successfully on the east side. The sand deposits (the best in Ottawa, according to Jean-Louis) are used for 1,001 other reasons, but most commonly for masonry. The business has five full-time employees and hires local independent truckers on demand.

In the last 25 years, the island has also taken on the reputation of being a recreational haven.

Visitors have flocked to the islands’ natural habitat for fishing and picnicking since the 1970s, says Grandmaitre — a practice his family had always encouraged.

And in the 1980s, after the Grandmaitres sold the islands to the region, thousands gathered there to take part in Winterlude activities, such as the Motorsport Regional Championship Race, where provincial racing champions would gun across the ice at speeds of more than 160 kilometres per hour. Fishing derbies, broomball tournaments, sleigh rides and cross-country skiing were also popular events.

This summer, more than 300 people per week descended on the island for recreational purposes, an interest Cumberland and regional government now hope to further develop with a marina, parks and nature trails.

To facilitate these plans, Grandmaitre’s lease to operate his sand extraction company will expire in 18 months. Although Grandmaitre is disappointed the 43-year-old company will either close or be forced to relocate, he is optimistic his family will still participate in the islands’ development.

"There’s talk of building a marina - maybe we’ll have a partnership in building the recreational aspect of the island," he explains.

Whether or not the plans proceed with his involvement, Grandmaitre is adamant that they not interfere with the islands’ wild spirit.

"What would be worse is if people use the island so much it ruins its natural aspects. We’re all for progress, but at what cost?"

Petrie Island and abutting shoreline have always served the people of Cumberland in one way or another.

Petrie Islands appeared on maps as early as the 1800s, but the name was not officially recorded as Petrie Island until 1939 and then pluralized in 1962.

The site was named after Capt. Archibald Petrie, an influential politician who shaped the early development of Cumberland Township.

Capt. Petrie, who hailed from Scotland, —leased the islands from the Crown in 1834. His home was built on the adjacent farm lands (the present home of regional councillor Robert van den Ham).

The prominent resident, a retired purser in the Royal Navy, (captain is thought to be a military designation) was the area’s member of Parliament. He successfully procured £4,000 to build a road along the south bank of the Ottawa River from Lachine to Bytown, which opened up the country, enabling it to develop further.

Petrie also served a variety of other —political functions during his lifetime, including reeve, Cumberland councillor and justice of the peace.

The islands changed hands several times after 1915, although little information has been recorded. What is known, however, is that Cumberland residents used the land to