Moral standard: Anglican church's role in Parlee Beach campground

It's not unusual that the Anglican Parish of Shediac is tied to a controversial Parlee Beach campground proposal, according a leading church expert, but it may impose a higher moral standard on the project.

The parish is listed in the province's environmental impact assessment documents as the proponent for a proposed large campground that has attracted opposition from nearby residents.

Earlier this week, the Anglican bishop of Fredericton said the project can't go ahead without his approval, but so far, he hasn't seen an official proposal. David Edwards said he, the diocese and the parish must all agree.

The controversy requires the church to consider its core values, said Rev. David Neelands, the dean of the faculty of divinity at Trinity College in Toronto.

"I think the church has to, in its own mind and conscience, determine that what it wants to do is compatible with the Christian gospel, which makes the priority the love of the neighbour," he said.

"If you're not doing something that indicates a love of the neighbour, it needs to be rethought."

Possible public meeting

Neeland, an ordained Anglican minister, said bringing neighbours into the discussion "isn't easy." Sometimes the neighbours don't want the churches to change, and therefore object when the church tries to make changes.

"But the neighbours have got to be part of the picture somehow or other."

He said the parish could hold a public meeting "to invite the neighbours to come and hear what the plans are and respond to them and give advice."

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The Anglican Parish of Shediac owns the 32-hectare parcel of land on which Shediac Campground Ltd. plans to build 600 to 700 camping sites.

Service New Brunswick records show the Anglican Parish of Shediac as the owner of the land, which was valued at $200,000 last year. Records show the tax bill was $5,430.

The Canada Revenue Agency's charity listings show the parish had almost $5 million in assets in 2015, though it lists no land holdings.

Important role

Neeland said the Anglican church puts "a high value on the discretion of local authorities," including the local parish.

That's different than the more hierarchical, top-down Roman Catholic church.

"The corporation of the local parish would have a very important role here, and that may be peculiar to the Anglican world."

But he said the parish is not supreme and Edwards would have the power under church canon to reject the project once he's familiar with the details.

That power exists also exists in provincial law. New Brunswick's Anglican Church Act, a law that governs the church's non-religious incorporation, says the church can't "lease, sell, mortgage or otherwise dispose of" property without approval of the bishop and the diocesan synod.

"It's unusual that he hasn't been told" details of the campground proposal, Neeland said. "But maybe the idea has started locally and it's just now going forward to the central office."

Legacy of owning land

Much of the Shediac parish's land was bequeathed to the church by William Hannington, a colonial-era businessman who was one of the first English settlers in southeast New Brunswick.

Neeland said many Anglican parishes have "a legacy of land ownership" so it's not unusual to see the Shediac church as a major owner of real estate.

"This was related to ancient customs from Europe, where land was put aside so the clergy would have revenue," he said.

The land was most often farmed, but in modern times, "sometimes this property is ideally suited for other purposes, so there has to be some consideration by both the owner and the community around about a new use for the property."

He said the diocese of Toronto recently wanted to develop some of its land for high-rise apartments and commercial use. But it was important to the church that the apartments were affordable to people with a range of incomes.

"That might compromise the revenue that's available, but it's more appropriate for the church to do that with its own property," he said.