By Tina Comeau
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
Yarmouth’s port manager says town council’s decision Thursday night to remove the reference to the ferry terminal divestiture from a motion it approved was a potentially costly mistake – although the town did not reject the divestiture, rather it deferred the matter until it could get more information and clarification on some issues.
It hopes to get that clarification at a special meeting being held on Monday, March 15.
At its meeting on March 11, council did approve a motion to appoint the Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission – the owners and operators of the Port of Yarmouth – as the lead organization in efforts to restore an international ferry service to Yarmouth.
But, said Dave Whiting the following day, how can you do that without a ferry terminal? The motion council approved was amended to, for now, leave out the part about the industrial commission obtaining ownership of the ferry terminal from Transport Canada through divestiture. Council said it needed to discuss the matter further.
Whiting, however, had been hoping for a different outcome from the town’s March 11 meeting, since the municipalities of Yarmouth and Argyle had already approved the divestiture motion.
“We needed a mandate in order to approach Transport Canada and that’s what we thought we were getting. It didn’t come, so we have no standing,” Whiting said. “You’ve got people out there who are trying to offer a solution (to ferry service). They want to know who they’re dealing with, and that it’s not a competitor.”
As things stand Bay Ferries holds the lease to the terminal. The divestiture process is aimed at getting the terminal into local hands.
The town also realizes that the clock is ticking. Which is why it has called a special meeting on Monday, just a few days after its council meeting, to continue discussions about this issue. It has asked Whiting to attend the meeting so council can get more information.
The town, along with tourism officials and others, has been working feverishly on several fronts to try and maintain ferry service for this year, although those efforts haven’t had the desired result everyone was hoping for with the province remaining firm on its decision not to fund The Cat.
But town council, like everyone else, wants to see ferry service up in running in 2011.
A few days before council's meeting, Whiting said divestiture takes time – possibly two to three years – and if you want to have ferry service in place for 2011, you can’t afford any delays to get the process started.
“Nobody is going to share a business plan with you if you have no standing,” he said.
But council did not reject the issue divestiture. It only deferred it so it could be discussed further.
The original motion that came before council on March 11 did include having the industrial commission obtain ownership of the ferry terminal through divestiture. Councillor Ken Langille proposed an amendment to the motion to remove the divestiture portion from the wording. He felt council needed more clarification on certain details to be able to make an informed decision, and so did other councillors around the table.
A couple of weeks earlier when the matter was discussed at a committee of the whole meeting at town hall, no one disputed the need for future ferry service and the importance of trying to get the ferry terminal into local hands, but there were some concerns expressed as a result of a recent provincial ombudsman’s report about SWSDA and its relationship with the Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission.
And other questions concerning the lease of the terminal also arise.
Meanwhile, Whiting could barely contain his frustration last Friday. As it is, he said, this process should have started months ago.
Although months ago the hope still was that Bay Ferries and The Cat would remain in operation for one more year.
“The clock is ticking,” Whiting said.
On that point, everyone agrees.
