Papers were signed on July 15 for dissolution of Powell River Waterfront Development Corporation (PRWDC).
According to corporation president Wayne Brewer, after an at-times controversial run of 17 years, the city-owned PRWDC is being dissolved after receiving a clean audit opinion and paying the city a final dividend of $84,362.
Brewer said some formalities had to be dealt with for the provincial registrar of companies to dissolve the corporation that were taken care of in the signing. He said he thinks the winding down of PRWDC is a good news story.
Brewer said PRWDC has been operated by a volunteer, unpaid board of directors who worked together with an equal number of directors from Tla’amin Nation after the city and Tla’amin formed the PRSC Limited Partnership to acquire 800 acres of land within city limits from the Catalyst mill, preventing outside interest from acquiring these lands.
Brewer said the city has been able to purchase, from PRSC and later from PRWDC, several valuable parcels of land in the heart of Powell River. These include:
· 88 acres for Millennium Park
· Nine acres of waterfront in Townsite below the liquid waste treatment site
· 10 acres in Townsite for the new liquid waste treatment facility
· 132 acres above the highway between Westview and Brooks Secondary School
· 100 acres in Wildwood
· 80 acres in Townsite known as the old golf course lands
“So where does the city go from here, now that it has acquired these lands and dissolved the PRWDC?” said Brewer. “Since forming this limited partnership, the city has created a competent, expanded planning department, and together with the city’s senior staff, and with council’s guidance, they can perform a strategic review and engage the public in consultations as to how to move forward.
“It has been a very worthwhile venture, not simply because it has placed 419 acres of valuable land in the care and control of the city, but because, through this strategic partnership and what it accomplished for both parties, the path toward reconciliation with Tla’amin Nation has benefitted immeasurably.”
Some of the land now held by the city may be developed and sold and that is all up for discussion, said Brewer. He added that he expects there will be a public consultation process regarding properties the city now holds.
“The public has asked for that and will get it,” said Brewer. “I think that’s the right direction.”
Brewer said there is a small contingent of people in the community who appear to be conspiracy theorists who have a notion there was hanky-panky going on with the operation of PRWDC.
“I’m not convinced there is anything we can say that will ever convince them otherwise,” said Brewer.
He said on a Facebook page, a writer used the word “criminals” to describe directors of PRWDC.
“It’s been hurtful,” said Brewer.
He said the directors never even submitted an expense claim for the work on PRWDC and they did it because they wanted to do it, “because we love this town.”
Brewer said the only people who ever contacted PRWDC for information were those interested in buying.
“No one ever contacted us and said, ‘could you answer some questions?’” he added.
Brewer said he has been impressed with the quality of directors PRWDC has had and their commitment to the corporation.
“Everyone believed in what they were doing and wanted to see a good outcome; I think we got it,” said Brewer. “I don’t think we can underestimate how important this was for our relationship with Tla’amin, as well. Reconciliation is a long process, it’s not just ‘let’s get together, have a public meeting, apologize or say some good things.’ It’s a very long process and this was part of that.”
Tla’amin benefitted tremendously as well, according to Brewer.
“They got lands they wanted out of this as well,” he said, “so I think they are happy with it.”
