The couple has already begun fencing a 45-acre field as they prepared to move 15 or so horses to the location. And at the meeting last week, Development Officer Perry Neufeld said he had no problem with the proposal from a zoning standpoint.
But the field is directly across the road from the only access to the subdivision, and is bordered by Marten Creek that flows right through the community. And the area is recognized as a catch basin that’s prone to flash floods, Larson reminded councillors.
“We’re all aware of the flooding that happened in the early 1970s, in 1988, and in the late 1990s.
“The people of Marten Beach were wading in surface water, and it’ll happen again.” Having a paddock filled with horses and a pile of solid waste could only spell disaster when the next flood hits.
Area residents think having such a business in the area is a good one, he added. It’s just that they don’t want it that close to their homes.
He suggested a piece of Crown land some three kilometres to the north would allow the Peiffers to move their Smith area operation closer to large populations and rest easy on cottagers’ minds.
And while some Marten Beach residents worried about sharing their walking trails with horses, others supported the plan.
No person or group owns the trails, Ken Caissie reminded his neigbours. ‘Besides, said Councillor Debbie Parsons, owners would be obliged to establish a 200 metre buffer between themselves and the nearby creek.
That would serve little purpose if a flood hit, said Councillor Jerry Wallsten, because the entire area is flooded in high water events.
Offering to help the couple find an alternate location, Councillor Denny Garratt said the operation across the road “is not in the community’s best interests.”
Only Councillors Pat Monteith, Parsons and Tim Walmsley supported Walmsley’s motion for second reading. A tie vote is lost.
A trail ride business in the Marten Beach area was rejected before it had a chance to host its first ride after neighbours said they didn’t want to live next door to a corral of horses – especially if a flood hits. At the same time, some councillors were concerned about putting the cart before the proverbial horse – and opening up the resort area to a variety of businesses. In the end, a motion to give the re-districting bylaw second reading was lost in a 3-3 vote.
Becky and Gerald Peiffer were asking councillors for the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River to change a piece of Crown land from Forestry to Recreation Facility and Resort district. But they were forced to shelve their plans after close to two dozen Marten Beach residents appeared at a public hearing to say that they feared their homes would be hit by a barrage of “by-products in heavy rains.”
Speaking on behalf of the Marten Beach Cottagers’ Association, Lorne Larson said the group bears no animosity toward the Smith-area couple.
“We have no problem with the idea, only the location,” he insisted.

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