North Sydney BIDA and Friends Efforts Continue For Immediate Release January 19, 2015 It has been one month since CBRM Council voted to amend the by-law standing in the way of the sale of Archibald’s Wharf to Canadian Maritime Engineering (CME). The North Sydney Business Improvement Development Association (BIDA) and Friends of Archibald’s Wharf continue their efforts aimed at an inclusive and sustainable plan for development in downtown North Sydney. “Our objective remains the same” says BIDA Chair Dan Bunbury. “Our mandate is to maximize business opportunities for the North Sydney community. We are discouraged that CME President, Tony Kennedy, has refused our offers to meet and that Mayor Clarke is too busy at the moment, but we are undeterred. This process has been flawed from the onset, and there seems to be little official desire to make improvements, but we know dialogue and developing a shared vision for downtown North Sydney with all those involved in the CME expansion, is the most positive path forward.” For Earlene MacMullin, representative of Friends of Archibald’s Wharf, little good has come from the experience. “It feels like we have gone from non-disclosure to non-discussion. We’ve made repeated requests of CBRM and CME representatives to pick up the conversation now that the by-law has been amended, but we receive very little in response. “For more than two months we were very reasonable and patient: we asked reasonable questions about the proposed sale and by-law amendment and made reasonable requests around process and format for consultations and have been greeted with silence,” says Mike Johnson, also a North Sydney resident and representative of Friends of Archibald’s Wharf. “These questions and requests were made on behalf of the more than 500 people who participated in the public meetings and the nearly 1500 who participate in different online groups related to the issue. That is quite a lot of people to not warrant a response from Mayor and Council.” Reluctance of CME and CBRM officials to follow-up and bring closure to the issue has left many questions unanswered. For North Sydney businessmen Paul Finney and Ron McRae, these include: “Why were neither the Economic Development Officer or the Planning Department involved in the original negotiations with CME, and why are they not involved now in finalizing the contract? Why is the CBRM prepared to allow ship recycling in a zone that currently prohibits the activity? As a condition of the sale, is CME expected to create 50 to 100 jobs, or spend $5 million dollars, or both? Will the $5 million be spent on fixed assets or equipment and machinery that can be carted away? ” For both the BIDA and Friends, there are still opportunities for the municipality to demonstrate responsible governance, transparency and communication with the electorate as the sale and development progress. Answers to the following would, if nothing else, ensure that North Sydney residents are informed of the significant changes they can expect in the coming months to their downtown streetscape: • How exactly is CME going to use Archibalds, and for what? • If there is going to be a dry dock, will it not need to be on the south side of existing CME operations in order to avoid Marine Atlantic traffic? Has CME initiated discussions with Marine Atlantic to ensure that ferries will still be able to dock safely and without interruption? • Will the existing buildings be used or will they be torn down? If they aren’t going to be used, is there an opportunity for the BIDA to continue with the Marine Atlantic redevelopment plan to advance part of Archibald’s Wharf as a tourist centre? • If CME is required to spend $5 million, how will this be measured and reported and by whom? Is there a penalty for failing to invest the $5 million or for failing to create 50 jobs as has been suggested? • If CBRM retains right of first refusal for Archibald’s Wharf, are there stipulations around the condition in which it is left or returned? If the contract includes a reparations clause, will that money be put in trust in the coming months? “I am concerned that our municipality is prepared to allow heavy industry, and specifically ship recycling activity in our downtown when the land use by-law doesn’t allow it,” says Finney. “At a time when communities are reclaiming their downtown waterfronts for tourism development and recreational value, our municipal government is changing its own planning strategy, ignoring its own bylaws, and selling off valuable property to move in the opposite direction. We have industrial parks sitting empty all over this municipality and the CBRM is now trying to industrialize our downtown waterfront. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 20:10:16 +0000
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