Tensions are high in Mahone Bay, N.S., after a 100-year-old beloved community member, Barbara Minard, fell while walking through town, with many associating the fall with a new café patio built onto the roadway.
Minard died four days later and now a petition has started to see the patio done away with.
Tuesday’s council meeting was dominated by heated exchanges over whether Eli + Trix should be allowed to keep that patio.
Minard’s family claims she fell while trying to navigate the new patio.
“I don’t know how this structure was approved,” her daughter, Nancy, said during the meeting.
“It’s tragic that we lost our mother, but she would want this to be a catalyst for change, and she was concerned that change happen immediately.”
Minard’s son, Robin, said the patio has created a safety problem.
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“It’s hard to understand why the (town) can’t have this sidewalk restored. It has become a 42-inch one-way sidewalk where you can’t even walk two people together,” he said.
Last week, the Town of Mahone Bay issued a statement, saying they were “deeply saddened” by the death, who was a “remarkable woman who touched many lives in our community.”
The statement went on to say that “the fall occurred while she was enjoying a day in town,” and that, “many members of the community associate her passing with the fall that happened near a newly built sidewalk patio in Town.”
“We know there are questions and we hear the calls for accountability and transparency,” the statement added.
The restaurant’s owner, Danielle King, told Global News the fall happened on the sidewalk and yet the town is blaming them.
“At the end of the day, you can do all the right things — and get the wrong result. The town made a statement that was completely unfair and very biased in my humble opinion,” she said.
King said she and her staff have received threats of violence and death.
“I genuinely understand that people are upset, that people are angry, but it’s being misdirected. Don’t come into my restaurant and yell at a 15-year-old kid that wants to make you a latte,” said King.
The business is waiting for an order from the town before taking further action. That order is expected to come by the end of the month.
But as the residents grieve Minard’s death, debate is expected to continue.
“Everyone in this town was touched by her, really, and she will be remembered. There’s no doubt about that,” her daughter said.
— with a file from Rebecca Lau
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