Waterways Access Calls for Relationship Building

Everyone needs to work closely to ensure fairness

B.C. is a recreational boating paradise, but it's also a mecca for real estate development on an unprecedented scale — and in some cases, the two don't mix well. For example, a proposed redevelopment of the waterfront in West Vancouver's Ambleside neighbourhood has resulted in the city removing access to a public boat launch that has been used for generations. There are no other launches in the vicinity, and unless the city includes a launch in its redevelopment, recreational boaters risk travelling across shipping lanes to enjoy the waters off Ambleside. “We are appealing to the District of West Vancouver and other parties to find a new location within the redevelopment for a boat ramp,” says Prittie.

Owen Bird, Executive Director of the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C., points out that over 50 percent of boaters use launches to go fishing and that “more and more of them are being retired. We need to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure a healthy mix of recreational, industry, and real estate development in the future.”

Increasing costs are also negatively affecting the boating industry. A prime example is the Nanaimo Port Authority that in 2012 evaluated foreshore leases for nine marinas within its jurisdiction with resulting increases of as much as 400 percent, which forced three owners to sell their assets to offshore investors.

The remaining owners formed the Nanaimo Marina Association (NMA) to lobby against what they think is an unfair assessment of marinas. “You can't compare marinas sitting on the water to waterfront real estate,” says NMA spokesman Odai Sirri. “A much fairer mechanism is used by the province, whereby foreshore leases are established based on four percent of the business's gross potential income.”

Prittie concludes: “I suspect that as more decision-makers in the province become aware of how important recreational boating is to our economy, the more easily these and other challenges will be resolved.

“We will continue to promote our industry by working with stakeholders and government bodies, and ensure that even greater numbers of British Columbians enjoy this wonderful natural resource.” ■