Marina investigation took far too long

Re: “Province rebuked for handling of marina lease,” Jan. 11.

The five years it took for B.C. ombudsperson Jay Chalke to find shortcomings in the provincial Lands Ministry’s handling of the Victoria International Marina lease illustrates the need for him to take a good look into the operation of his own office.

Seven years ago, I joined former Victoria mayor Peter Pollen and a small group of citizens in opposing the way provincial and federal officials were approving the leasing and construction of the marina. Although it was to be built on Crown (publicly owned) land in a public harbour, neither level of government ever held a public meeting to hear the concerns of citizens who would be affected by the project.

Pollen was a major harbour benefactor, but when he took issue with the way government officials were riding roughshod over opposition to the marina, he was treated with disdain or ignored. Unable to obtain a meaningful review or hearing in July 2012, we registered a formal complaint with the provincial ombudsperson.

It took over five years for the ombudsperson to investigate our complaint and reach a conclusion. The finding supports our concerns, but now the marina is a fait accompli, the politicians of the day are long gone and the officials involved have probably moved on, too.

A five-year review is at least four years too long. It leaves the impression that the ombudsperson is acting merely as a government safety valve for deflecting opposition until it is no longer relevant.

Terry Milne Victoria