Forum on Saturday examines governance of Nanaimo Harbour
The City of Nanaimo, Snuneymuxw First Nation and Nanaimo Marina Association are hosting a forum to hear the public’s opinion on changing the way the city’s harbour is managed.
“Mayor and council passed a resolution asking staff to explore what that would look like after hearing concerns from the community,” said Tracy Samra, the city’s chief administrative officer.
“The best way to start that is with public engagement and hearing from others with experience.”
The Future of Nanaimo Harbour forum on Saturday is part of an ongoing effort to look at replacing the federally run Nanaimo Port Authority with a non-profit partnership of local governments and business organizations, similar to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.
“The main thing is to create a governance model that is responsive to regional needs,” said Douglas White, a councillor and chief negotiator for the Snuneymuxw.
He said the First Nation has had ongoing frustrations with the port authority and a lack of consultation over management and projects within its traditional and treaty territory.
White noted that the federal government recently highlighted the need to recognize Indigenous rights and engage in nation-tonation partnerships. He said this should include Canada Marine Act and looking at the port authority issue.
“We have to get these principles in practice on the ground,” White said.
Nanaimo has one of 18 federally operated port authorities in the country, which function at arm’s-length from the government under a board of directors. It manages the city’s harbour waters and foreshore leases for businesses.
President Bernie Dumas said he does not expect anyone from the organization to attend the public forum. Dumas is retiring at the end of the week, when his successor will be announced.
Odai Sirri, of the Nanaimo Marina Association, said: “Nanaimo has one of the worst performing ports in the country. It loses money year after year. We need to look at why that is happening.”
Sirri said economic concerns about the port authority have intensified over the past five years as a massive jump in leasing rates has led several businesses to sell and close and developers to abandon projects.
“Everything we warned the community and Transport Canada about is happening. Businesses are closing and investment projects are gone,” he said.
He expressed concerns about the $22-million cruise ship terminal. “We were supposed to see 25 ships a year and we’re lucky if we get five or six . . . . The condition and maintenance of the terminal is also a concern.”
Transport Canada said in July that it had no immediate plans to look at changing the government structure of the Nanaimo Port Authority.
Sirri said any decision on control of the harbour lies with the federal government, but that it is up to the community to bring attention to the issue.
“It’s incumbent on us to work together to make that change. We can do better for this city,” he said, using the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority as an example.
Stewart Johnston, a Victoria lawyer and founder of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, will be a speaker at the public forum along with former chairman Don Prittie. He said the situation in Nanaimo is a bit different from what the GVHA faced in the mid-1990s.
“We had a mandate and appetite from the federal government,” Johnston said. “But a major part was developing the relationships and trust of everyone involved.”
The Future of Nanaimo Harbour takes place Saturday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, 101 Gordon St.