By Ian Holmes

City Council wants to explore replacing Nanaimo Port Authority

Apr 5, 2017 | 9:44 AM

NANAIMO — More traction has been added to calls to form a non-profit society to replace the Nanaimo Port Authority (NPA).

However, it remains very much unclear if the grassroots plan will become reality.

On Monday night, City Council approved a motion to support the Greater Nanaimo Waterfront Association (GNWA) and other community partners in their efforts to form a society to become the official stewards of Nanaimo’s water lot properties.

“This is from north to south from Duke Point to Departure Bay, all industries that do business on the harbour are united in this approach with this model,” GNWA representative Odai Sirri told Monday’s meeting. “So what we’re saying is let’s move this forward and we need the City to be united behind this model with us.”

Sirri has publicly voiced his opposition to the way the NPA has done business since last summer. He feels marina rates set by the NPA are unfairly high for several marinas along Newcastle Channel. He told NanaimoNewsNOW recently he paid $100,000 in taxes to the NPA for his Stewart Ave. marina last year, compared to a nearby marina under the provincial model whose taxes were $40,000.

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Coun. Bill Bestwick, who championed the motion to support the movement, said working with impacted parties will help determine if a society model to manage the City’s waterfront makes sense.

“This isn’t a coup, this isn’t an overthrowing…this is to try to determine whether or not this is in the greater good and interests, and we’ll determine that,” Bestwick said. “And our staff will participate and have a role in that determination moving forward, so we have to start somewhere.”

Coun. Diane Brennan voted against the motion, noting having a society overseeing the harbour’s activities is a “significant decision that will impact the city and our waterfront forever.”

She called for a staff report instead.

“I don’t think that I have the specific competency to make this decision without resorting to asking our staff for recommendations and advice,” Brennan said.

City of Nanaimo deputy chief administrative officer Victor Mema told council staff is challenged by the complexities of the file.

“The presenter (Sirri) here has been on this for a while, and I think NPA has been on this for a while, but the City hasn’t,” Mema said. “The City has been asked to take a position, but it’s a position of ignorance from staff’s perspective.”

In an emailed statement to NanaimoNewsNOW, Transport Canada states the Transport Minister is solely responsible for issuing authority to manage a port in Canada under the Canada Marine Act.

The non-profit NPA is the landlord for the harbour, managing all area activities, which include two deep sea docks, the cruise ship terminal and several marinas.

ian.holmes@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@reporterholmes