By Ian Holmes

Feds hold firm as pressure dialed up on Nanaimo harbour governance

Sep 28, 2017 | 6:03 PM

NANAIMO — While the City toys with a new governance model for Nanaimo’s harbour, Transport Canada has reaffirmed its position that the local Port Authority isn’t going anywhere.

A City of Nanaimo news release this week promoted a forum Saturday called “The Future of Nanaimo Harbour,” which is part of the City’s “ongoing commitment to work with Snuneymuxw First Nation and marine industry to establish a new model to govern Nanaimo harbour.”

Mayor Bill McKay said he believes the release does not reflect the will of council.

“We certainly did not support by resolution the dissolution of the Port Authority…at this particular point council certainly has not done that,” McKay said.

McKay noted there are concerns from lease holders over marina rental rates and a lack of open communication between commercial marine operators and the Nanaimo Port Authority (NPA). He said it’s important for the City to help improve relationships with their partners impacted by how the NPA operates.

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“I certainly look forward to that. If at the end of the day it’s determined that the governance model is going to stay the same then we work with that framework.”

When reached by NanaimoNewsNOW, City CAO Tracy Samra would only say “the press release speaks for itself” and declined commenting further.

At an April 3 meeting, council passed a motion to support efforts for a non-profit society to become the official steward of Nanaimo’s water lot.

Coun. Bill Bestwick, who tabled the motion, maintains this process “isn’t a coup” or plan to “overthrow” the NPA. He said community concerns of how the NPA operates have been made public and this is a chance to build relationships.

“There may be a stronger collaboration when this is all over than exists today, to everyone’s benefit, and maybe not, but I don’t know the answers to those questions until we have these conversations.”

Bestwick’s interpretation of Saturday’s forum is “all about transparency, engagement and consultations” on the operations of Nanaimo’s waterfront.

“Ultimately there might be some modifications, there might be some changes, there might be no changes. I don’t think anyone has that crystal ball.”

An email from Transport Canada to NanaimoNewsNOW Thursday regarding a possible new governance model for Nanaimo’s harbour stated “the department has not changed its views and has no new developments to report.”

A May 23 letter from Transport Canada to Samra, which was later made public, stated Transport Canada had “no plan to alter the current governance structure of the Nanaimo Port Authority.”

Snuneymuxw First Nation announced in July it wanted to have Nation-to-Nation discussions with the federal government on the future of Nanaimo harbour in order to replace the NPA.

The non-profit NPA is the landlord for Nanaimo’s habour, overseeing all area activities, including two deep sea docks, the cruise ship terminal and several marinas.

The Future of the Nanaimo Harbour Forum runs Saturday (Sept. 30) from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre’s Shaw auditorium.

ian@NanaimoNewsNOW.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes