The demolition of a wooden lighthouse at Fisherman's Harbour in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia attracted Langille's attention in 2011.
In a piece he wrote for the conservation group Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, Langille reported that the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans demolished the century-old lighthouse without warning and burned it on the beach as villagers watched in horror.
The government then replaced it with "an ugly steel frame" structure.
Langille lamented the loss of the small, wooden lighthouse. "
The effect of that humble building against the dramatic backdrop of sky and the rugged seacoast was quintessential Nova Scotia, a painter’s dream, the kind of picture seen on a tourist brochure," he wrote. "
How can Fisheries and Oceans systematically destroy the built heritage of Nova Scotia?
Why is the Federal Government allowed to disfigure the natural and traditional beauty of our seacoast?
Why indeed?
And what can be done to stop similar vandalism from taking place elsewhere in our province?"
The demolition of a wooden lighthouse at Fisherman's Harbour in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia attracted Langille's attention in 2011. In a piece he wrote for the conservation group Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, Langille reported that the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans demolished the century-old lighthouse without warning and burned it on the beach as villagers watched in horror. The government then replaced it with "an ugly steel frame" structure. Langille lamented the loss of the small, wooden lighthouse. "The effect of that humble building against the dramatic backdrop of sky and the rugged seacoast was quintessential Nova Scotia, a painter’s dream, the kind of picture seen on a tourist brochure," he wrote. "How can Fisheries and Oceans systematically destroy the built heritage of Nova Scotia? Why is the Federal Government allowed to disfigure the natural and traditional beauty of our seacoast? Why indeed? And what can be done to stop similar vandalism from taking place elsewhere in our province?"
Edward Langille