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Published Mar 05, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Construction at the site of the proposed Cedar Crescent Village project at Port Elgin’s main beach barely got underway six years after first being presented to residents. Now, the Town of Saugeen Shores has signalled a desire to terminate the lease with developers. Photo suppliedArticle content
The Port Elgin Beach Preservers say they want their little patch of paradise back.
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Saugeen Shores said on Monday that it was taking action against the proponents of the Cedar Crescent Village project at Port Elgin’s main beach after developers failed to reach previously extended construction timeline targets.
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The town and Ontario numbered company 2706913 Ontario Inc., which includes Port Elgin bar owner Pier Donnini, signed a 50-year-lease for the waterfront land in 2019.
Prior to that, the space was a fixture of fond summer memories for generations and home to the former Port Elgin and North Shore Railway station building and miniature train. The area also featured mini-putt, a little beach shop and an ice cream spot, all operated for nearly three decades by Andy and Debbie Hess.
When the Hess family couldn’t reach a new lease with the town in 2018, they closed the business. Two years later, the town demolished the mini train station and paved the way for the $10 million Cedar Crescent Village (CCV) project that promised to turn the area into the town’s waterfront focal point, complete with a restaurant and viewing deck, a market hall, a game space, and an ice cream shop.
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The only sign of the proposed premier year-round waterfront development currently at the Harbour Street location is a construction fence, some backfill, and a collection of concrete pipes.
“It’s a mess. It’s just a mess,” said Patricia Corrigan-Frank.
Corrigan-Frank is the co-founder of the Port Elgin Beach Preservers, a group with more than 4,000 members on Facebook, who have spoken out against the CCV development since it was first presented to residents in 2019.
The Port Elgin Beach Preservers and Corrigan-Frank argue that the town pushed out the old leaseholders from the area by offering unfavourable lease terms, and then entered into a 50-year lease with Donnini and local investors.
“We were pretty stunned with what they were proposing at the time,” Corrigan-Frank said.
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Corrigan-Frank said the Port Elgin Beach Preservers aren’t against development at Port Elgin’s main beach. She said 90 per cent of the group’s members would like to have a nice restaurant, market shops, and family-friendly entertainment available, if it’s done correctly and with public input.
“We’re very much in support of the move to cancel this lease and start fresh,” Corrigan-Frank said. “We’re not out of the woods yet. I don’t know how long or drawn out this legal thing is going to be.”
After issuing a building permit to 2706913 Ontario Inc. in 2023, the town extended key project deadlines by 10 months in 2025. According to the town’s CCV project website, the North Building of the proposed “premier year-round destination at Port Elgin Beach” was expected to be completed by Feb. 2, 2026, with the project to be totally completed by the end of the year.
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It’s clear the Cedar Crescent Village project isn’t in the cards, but Corrigan-Frank hopes beachgoers will at least be able to park at the property.
“Nothing is going to get built or done this summer, but at the very least, level off the land, take down the fencing, remove the piping, and let people enjoy it for this summer,” she said.
Saugeen Shores said in its statement Monday that although it recognizes residents have a long-standing interest in the status of the Port Elgin waterfront and the CCV project, the “next steps involve court intervention, the town is limited in its ability to comment, and no additional details can be provided at this time.”
Attempts to reach Donnini for this story were unsuccessful.
At a Feb. 24, 2025, council meeting, Donnini blamed construction delays on the COVID-19 pandemic and a directive from the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority to move the development farther from the beach. He said the Ontario numbered company’s investors have contributed $4 million to the project, and that a $10 million loan from Libro Credit Union has been secured.
– with files from Frances Learment
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