A resolution expressing no objection to a crown land tenure application in the Saltery Bay area was defeated by the qathet Regional District board.
At a meeting on Thursday, October 24, directors considered the application from Spick and Sons Projects Ltd. to locate moorage for a landing craft and barge in the Saltery Bay area. At the meeting, prior to defeating the resolution, directors heard delegations from two opponents and from the proponent regarding the location of the moorage.
The first delegation heard from was Michael Conway-Brown, an opponent of the application, who said the big picture was the adjacent Rose Beach and Sunshine Coast Trail.
Conway-Brown said the Electoral Area C official community plan bylaw states the regional district will work with provincial and federal agencies to ensure proposed private moorage/docks are appropriate for the character and neighbourhood of the properties upland, such as Rose Beach and the Sunshine Coast Trail. He said Rose Beach is a very popular beach in the summer and the only good swimming beach in the area. It is in easy walking distance of the ferry terminal.
Conway-Brown added that the Sunshine Coast Trail is simply a jewel in the community and should be supported and protected by the regional district at every opportunity.
He said the regional district passed a recommendation in 2015 to support a barge ramp facility, a staging area and docking amenities upland from Spick’s water tenure application. He added that none of these are in the current application but he said there are two references in the management plan about pending upland application.
“Clearly, this industrial moorage is the edge of a wedge that will destroy the nature of the southern terminus of the Sunshine Coast Trail,” said Conway-Brown. “If this project goes through the trail will end in a butt-ugly industrial site with an eyesore close to the beach.
“That trail, with hut-to-hut hiking, now has world-class status. Wilderness tourism is big money. It is also clean money.”
Conway-Brown said he asked that the board not support this application, or at least send it back to the planning committee for reconsideration, including the values in the official community plan that were ignored the first time.
Eagle Walz, president of Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (PRPAWS), said there had been an opportunity to meet with the proponent, John Spick, and he appreciated hearing Spick’s view of what he would like to do. Walz said during the conversation, Spick did mention he would be applying to the uplands area to connect it to the barge eventually, but this was not part of the current application, which is only for the barge.
Walz said the file before the board was only for water tenure, but what is intended is that the upland will become a staging area, a road will be built and a bridge will be constructed over the creek.
“The current application by John Spick for an industrial moorage is the preliminary stage from the earlier proposal and will destroy the Sunshine Coast Trail,” said Walz. “PRPAWS opposes this application based on the severe negative impact on the Sunshine Coast Trail and on Rose Beach.
“The Sunshine Coast Trail is world famous and to start or finish a hike in an industrial zone would ruin the experience for local hikers or for those who come from many parts of the world. We now have 6,000 to 8,000 people visiting the Sunshine Coast Trail coming to this community. The Sunshine Coast Trail is an important economic driver for the qathet Regional District and Powell River and it continues to grow year over year.”
Spick said when the original application for an upland portion was made in 2015, he was required to get letters of support from stakeholders in the area, and when the letters of support were submitted, he was told what the cost would be for a lease for the upland portion.
“It was financially not feasible to proceed,” said Spick. “We never made an application.”
In terms of the water tenure, he said his company’s landing craft and barge have been moored in Saltery Bay for the past five years. He said if his company wishes to keep the vessels in the Saltery Bay area he needed to get a water licence.
“Initially, when we asked for just a water licence we were told they wouldn’t issue a water licence unless we had control of the uplands,” said Spick. “That is when we approached the ministry of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development to see if we could get a licence for occupation on land and then they said we had to get approval of all stakeholders. So in the end that process went nowhere.”
Subsequent to that, a log salvage company applied for a water licence just south of Rose Beach, even though it did not have control of the uplands. Spick said it was completely contrary to what he had been instructed by the ministry.
“When we found that out we approached the ministry and asked if we could just get a water licence and so they said we could make an application for a water licence,” said Spick. “That’s where we are at now.”
The vessels had previously been tied up at the Saltery Bay government dock but regulations changed and they wouldn’t take vessels longer than 55 feet. The landing craft and barge were 74 feet, so the vessels had to vacate.
“That’s why we moored in Saltery Bay,” said Spick. “As far as land access, we don’t require land access. All we require is water moorage. We are able to use the landing at Hummingbird Cove in order to bring materials on and off the barge and service the local islands.”
He said the only area he can moor is in Saltery Bay. He said it is an industrial bay by nature.
“At this point, all we are asking for is a water licence,” he added. “Our purpose here is not to get a land-based operation. Our purpose is to simply anchor our barge.”
Spick said the barge is already there.
Conway-Brown said the vessels will be move right up tight to the beach and will be an eyesore.
Electoral Area C director Clay Brander asked how far offshore the vessels would be moored at low tide and Spick said 40 metres.
When it came time to vote on the application, the motion was that the qathet Regional Board advise the ministry of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development that qathet Regional District has no objection to the crown land tenure for industrial use in Saltery Bay, for which Spick was applying.
The board defeated the motion so there will not be a letter of no objection going forward.
