“This is an important step in the approval process that will soon bring one of the most modern, environmentally-friendly and beautiful marina projects in the world to Victoria’s middle harbour,” said Lachlan MacLean, general manager of marina Operations for the WAM Development Group.
However, the plan has been opposed by thousands of local residents (including kayaking groups). As one reader posted on CBC's coverage of today's development, "A facility such as this encourages an unsustainable, unjustifiable gluttonous consumption of fossil fuel that serves no purpose other than propping up yacht owner's ego. It supports a lifestyle that is no longer relevant." I couldn't have said it better.
CFAX has posted some local reactions:
-- proposed mega-yacht marina builder Bob Evans: "Our original goal was to get the construction done this year...2010...but it won't be completed probably until the summer of 2011 now, (because of) the long time it took. But again, I want to re-emphasize I am so grateful to everyone that has helped us along the process"
-- local MP Keith Martin: "I find that remarkable because the marina as far as I've seen fails on a couple of accounts. From an environmental perspective but importantly from a safety perspective. Stick a marina in the inner harbour, where it's proposed and the wave pattern changes, and how busy our inner harbour is I fear that we're going to have an accident, that there's going to be a fatal collision between planes, boats."
The project still requires provincial and civic approval. And as reported by CFAX, BC Forests Minister Pat Bell is waiting for guidance from the city before deciding whether to issue approval for the project, claiming that he's been getting mixed messages from the city, despite the fact that the mayor has been fairly adament in his displeasure with the proposal.
This is far from over, and lawyers will get rich.
The problem with that drawing of the proposed marina is that it doesn't show how much that marina would stick out into the harbour. That wave attenuator would come pretty close to the float plane path.
ReplyDeleteThe day of the rally against this marina, I was one of the small boaters in the photo John posted. Paddling out near the tiny islets really brought it home to me how big this proposed marina would be. Too big. Wrong place. The feds who approved it weren't on the spot, or on the ball.