STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.

NRE discussions stall over lack of business plan, continued financial confusion

Mar 26, 2018 | 8:42 PM

NANAIMO — “This has been going on for five years and we don’t have a business plan?” a Nanaimo councillor asked skeptically during yet another debate about helping the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange pay for a new facility.

For the second time in two weeks, the NRE was in front of Council about a request for $6.05 million to fund a new building on land beside their current site on Kenworth Rd, which closed earlier this month to allow site demolition in the face of their lease expiring at the end of the month.

After facing heavy criticism last time about their lack of a business plan, critical information wasn’t presented again to councillors Monday night.

“It’s not matching up to me,” coun. Bill Yoachim continued, addressing coun. Diane Brennan’s motion referring the NRE issue back to staff for further discussion about a business plan.

NRE executive director Jan Hastings told Council a business plan was in the works but wouldn’t be finished and ready to present until they knew exactly what was being asked.

“We just want to be 100 per cent sure of what people want to see,” she said. “We’ve had various requests to come up with the business plan. I want to talk to the people who’ve made requests and make sure I know what everyone wants to see and we’ll put all that together and present it to you.”

No timeline was given for when the business plan would be ready.

Once again, a previous $200,000 ask of the City, which Hastings at the time said would be enough to keep their doors open, wasn’t mentioned. 

An existing staff report presented to Council Monday night showed any payment from the City to help the NRE build a new building would either affect the garbage user rates or property taxes.

The report also said the $6.05 million cost of a new facility is just a preliminary estimate and could change, creating several “significant” financial risks for the City.

After roughly 45 minutes, compared to the lengthy debate the last time the NRE was in front of council, Nanaimo councillors voted to send a recent report back to City staff to further discussions with the NRE and Hastings.

Only coun. Bill Bestwick was opposed.

 

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit