Berth pains
No loose lips on port and ships
Something may be afloat at city hall where the Cape Breton Regional Municipality council meets today for a behind closed doors meeting about the Port of Sydney.
However, Sydney councillors Eldon MacDonald and Ray Paruch say they have no idea what the in camera meeting, that was announced Tuesday, is all about.
“I guess we’ll get updated on what the Paruch story is and where we’re at on things, but there’s not much I can say on it, I don’t know” said MacDonald, the deputy mayor who is the representative for Sydney’s waterfront area.
Coun. Paruch also denied knowledge of the meeting’s agenda and expressed displeasure about going into the session with no details.
“I have no idea, I have absolutely no idea what’s on the agenda,” said the veteran municipal politician. “I received an email from the clerk’s office on Tuesday and they’re saying the meeting is between nine and five, but with no paper and no agenda how can I prepare to go for a meeting?”
Issued by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality clerk’s department, the notification states the in camera meeting is in regard to the Port of Sydney and is pursuant to sections 22 (2) (a) and (e) of the province’s Municipal Government Act. The latter clause relates to contract negotiations, while the former states that council may meet in a closed session to discuss matters relating to the “acquisition, sale, lease and security of municipal property.” When contacted by phone in Montréal, the Port of
Sydney Development Corporation’s chief executive officer, Marlene Usher, said the private and confidential nature of the meeting forbade her from divulging any further information.
“I can’t comment on it because it’s in camera — that’s up to the CBRM as to what they want to release about it,” said Usher.
However it’s no secret that the development of a second cruise ship berth in Sydney Harbour is of paramount importance to the municipality.
In fact, funding has been in place for the $20-million project since January when the federal government, through its Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, came on board with its commitment to fund one-third of the cost. The province and the CBRM are also in for a third ($6.67 million) of the funding required for the purchase, remediation and development of berth site.
The CBRM has indicated its preferred location for the second berth is the parcel of land located just north of the existing cruise ship berth. The problem is the municipality does not own the land. It’s deeded to North Sydney businessman Jerry Nickerson.
In a report made public earlier this year, the consulting firm
CPCS stated that while the project Meloney has merit, its primary risks are the potential for cost overruns and its contaminated state.
The report stated: “The price for the acquisition of the Nickerson property is considerably higher than budgeted in the funding application ($6 million vs. $1.5 million).”
It went on to suggest that the municipality could choose to expropriate the land.
The report also touched on the present condition of the land: “This land is also contaminated and we are not satisfied that the potential environmental remediation costs have been appropriately accounted for in the estimated costs of the second berth project.
Earlier this year, the Cape Breton Post asked the CBRM to release the environment impact assessment of the property in question, but was refused on the grounds the information could negatively impact any real estate negotiations.
The Post has since made application under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy act to view the assessment.
However, that process can take 12-18 months and, even if it is recommended, the province’s review officer can’t order the release of the record.
While there are still obstacles in the way of second berth development, local businesses reliant on tourism remain supportive of the second berth project.
Bruce Meloney, who operates two kiosks at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion, called the initiative an “exceptional” undertaking.
“The second berth is going to be crucial to the growth of the cruise business for us, but it’s also great for the port because there’s been many times when the port could have used that other berth for other things,” said Meloney, whose Kilted Moose Trading Company and Cape Breton T-Shirt Company outlets on the waterfront enjoyed a banner 2017 cruise ship season.
“This year we just finished a spectacular cruise season and it could have even been better if we had the second berth because there was a lot of ships that would have come to Sydney, but they would have had to anchor and they don’t like to anchor, we could have done a lot better.”
More than 90 cruise ships visited Sydney between late April and the end of October. The ships carried an estimated 135,000 passengers.
“People love coming to Sydney, it’s a great port — lots like to take excursions to places like Baddeck, Iona, the Fortress of Louisbourg, the Miners Museum, and all of those places are awesome, but they also like the cruise pavilion’s close proximity to downtown, so this is a great stop, it’s friendly and has a lot of plusses going for it and the pavilion itself is one of the nicer pavilions, so it says a lot for Sydney in the future,” said Meloney.
Once land is acquired for the berth, it is expected that engineering and construction work will take between 14 to 18 months to complete.