ARICHAT: In response to a renewed call from Strait area shippers and a local municipal council to abandon the concept of a port authority for the Strait of Canso, the head of the organization overseeing the Strait’s marine traffic is requesting a renewed focus on port governance from the region’s municipal leaders.
Richmond Municipal Council has voted unanimously to write to Transport Canada and federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau, to once again request that the federal body allow the Strait of Canso to retain its current governance model and refuse any efforts to establish a Canadian Port Authority (CPA) for the region.
The vote, which took place at last week’s regular monthly council meeting in Arichat, followed a request from a delegation of local shippers and economic development leaders who appeared at council’s Committee-of-the-Whole meeting on January 8. These included Strait Area Chamber of Commerce (SACoC) president and NuStar Canada representative David Hart, Melford International Terminal (MIT) vice-president of marketing Richie Mann, Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP) development manager Marc Dube, and the chamber’s executive director, Amanda Mombourquette.
“We’ve thrown up opposition to this idea, because we believe that not only will it jeopardize and see increased costs for existing business, but it certainly poses a threat to any potential businesses in the Strait, and it would certainly cause a loss of the advantage that we already have,” Mann told the January 8 meeting.
Hart suggested that a misconception exists with regards to the exact amount of harbour dues currently being collected and the final destination for these fees.
“They’re not the millions of dollars that people have led you to believe – it’s less than a million dollars, and it’s much less than a million dollars for the amount of harbour dues that are being generated for this proposed entity,” Hart insisted.
“The [myth] is that those dues disappear into Ottawa – that’s not true. Those harbor dues are used to fund federal agencies and services that are currently provided in the port. You’re talking Transport Canada, ship safety, Canadian Border Services, Canadian security.”
Isle Madame councillor Alvin Martell suggested that the current system has worked well since Richmond last took a stand on the issue two years ago, while Warden Brian Marchand agreed that the county may have the most to lose if a CPA takes shape on the Strait of Canso.
“Based on the businesses that are in the industrial park, we’re the biggest losers, so we went with their decision,” the warden told the January 23 council meeting.
In response, Strait of Canso Superport Corporation (SCSC) chief executive officer (CAO) Tim Gilfoy pointed out that his organization has put its push for a port authority on hold, in light of a willingness expressed by the Strait Area Mayors and Wardens Committee (SAMWC) in late 2015 to hold a broadly-based shipping stakeholders meeting that would develop a united front on the issue.
“This proposed stakeholders’ session has not taken place,” Gilfoy told The Reporter Thursday morning. “But our board feels that would be an appropriate step to move forward with a unified voice.”