I think the process of handling this whole thing has been absolutely outrageous, conflicts of interest, absolutely no discussion, it’s gone as far as it has with virtually no notice to the public. The second thing is that it is entirely inappropriate to have 50 mega-yachts owned by mega-yachters buying condominium berths at $50,000 to $80,000 a berth, and they’re going to store these things in our tiny little harbour. It’s just crazy.
Another former mayor David Turner hit the mark when he called the marina "...a private rather than a public facility, catering to the wealthy who own these mega-yachts."
Also, savevictoriaharbour.com offers a quote from a recent letter from the South Island Sea Kayakers Association to Transportation Minister Ron Cantelon, which also pretty much hits the nail on the head:
The fundamental issue is that if you grant a license of occupation for this water lot, you will be taking an expanse of public waters currently enjoyed by all Victorians, and privatizing those waters for the use of the internationally wealthy. You will also be privatizing irreplaceable viewscapes and the shoreline - shifting them from the shared use of the entire community to the private benefit of a handful of mostly foreign-owned luxury yachts.savevictoriaharbour.com also reports that local MP Keith Martin has written a letter against the proposal to federal Transport Canada Minister John Baird (the same John Baird who when he was Environment Minister supported "soft" intensity carbon targets instead of a hard cap. But I digress.)
And remember, we are in a provincial election campaign -- make your voices heard and ask your candidates where they stand on this issue.
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