On D-Day anniversary, battle over Juno Beach condo development wages on

On the 78th anniversary of the D-Day operation in France, a battle against a proposed condo development set to be constructed on Juno Beach wages on.

Earlier this year, French property developer Foncim announced plans to build a 70-unit condominium complex on the beach. But one group continues to petition Canada’s federal government to put a stop to the project. Cindy Clegg is an organizer of the group, known as Save Juno Beach.

“There was no consultation around where these condos are going and the imposition that it has on the Juno Beach Centre, Canada’s museum and memorial on the site,” Clegg told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday. “It truly is part of where Canadians fought during D-Day.”

Development plans also involve use of the private driveway belonging to the Canadian-built Juno Beach Centre Memorial and Museum in Normandy, which receives more than 100,000 visitors from across the globe each year. Construction on the project could begin as early as September.

“The important part is to actually have some consideration around what that development is [and] what it means,” Clegg said.

Through the Save Juno Beach campaign, 65,000 letters have been sent by Canadians to politicians in Ottawa and France with calls to protect the site. More than 14,000 Canadians stormed Juno Beach under a hail of gunfire and artillery on June 6, 1944 to help liberate Europe from occupation by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, making it a sacred site in Canadian military history. More than 5,000 Canadians were killed in the Battle of Normandy, and 381 were killed on D-Day.

“Because it’s the 78th anniversary of D-Day today, there’s really one last chance to make an impact,” Clegg said.

Watch the full video with CTV’s Your Morning at the top of this article to hear more about the Save Juno Beach campaign, and how to help.

With files from CTV News’ Michael Lee.