At a March 31 public hearing, more than 150 people came out to have their say or lend their support to those taking a stand for or against Target Marine Hatcheries' proposal for spot rezoning.
If approved, the rezoning and subsequent official community plan (OCP) amendment would allow processing of sturgeon for caviar at the hatchery located beside Tillicum Bay Marina in Sandy Hook. Thunderous applause from both camps and stirring arguments both to allow and deny the rezoning left Sechelt councillors with a daunting decision ahead of them - a decision that is expected to be made later this month.
The four-hour meeting held at the Seaside Centre saw 26 speakers give reasons to allow the rezoning while 19 asked council to deny it. Two speakers gave no solid indication whether they were for or against the rezoning. More speakers were slated to talk, but decided to hand in written submissions as the meeting reached the three-hour mark.
More written submissions were received by the District prior to the meeting, and all submissions will be summarized and brought to council in a staff report in the coming weeks.
Those who spoke in favour of the rezoning cited the need for more jobs, which would be created by the caviar business; more tourism opportunities; educational and research opportunities; Target Marine's history as a supporter of community events; that the caviar extraction would not create any more noise or smell on the property; that transferring the sturgeon off-site for processing would result in a detrimental effect on the quality of the caviar and the fish; and that most of the immediate neighbours to the fish hatchery are in favour of the rezoning. It was shown that of the 12 properties nearest to Target Marine Hatcheries, 10 were not opposed to the rezoning, one was "on the fence" and one was opposed.
Some speakers took aim at Coun. Alice Janisch who was quoted at an earlier meeting as saying the Target Marine jobs were low paying. Employees of Target said they were well paid, owned homes and held RRSPs through working for the local company.
It was also noted that although Janisch's research showed other sturgeon being raised in Canada, Target Marine Hatcheries is the first and only hatchery in Canada to raise white sturgeon.
Those opposed said the rezoning went against the OCP and a previous zoning amendment that assured no fish processing would take place on site; that the company could buy a new industrial zoned property where the sturgeon processing can take place; that the rezoning is not about jobs, rather about location; that many in the wider neighbourhood (Tillicum Bay/Sandy Hook/Tuwanek) are against the proposal; that there were fears the processing operation could expand in the future; that property values might be negatively affected by having a fish processing plant nearby; and that the majority of those in favour of the rezoning do not live in the area.
A letter from the "concerned citizens of Tillicum Bay, Sandy Hook and Tuwanek" was mailed out to Sechelt residents earlier in the week urging people to write to council and oppose the rezoning which was falsely identified as "industrial zoning." The letter said the new "industrial zoning" would "open Pandora's box by setting a precedent and giving the opportunity for the existing owners or future owners (both local and foreign) the legal right to expand their operations as they own approximately 60 acres of surrounding land."
The letter was called into question at the meeting where it was noted the zoning change would not be to industrial, rather to a special M-3A zoning, which would only allow processing of sturgeon for caviar on site. The new zoning would also limit the buildings used for caviar production to no more than 15 per cent of the area zoned M-3A.
Justin Henry of Target Marine Hatcheries urged council to disregard any letters referring to the rezoning as industrial as he felt those letters and comments would have been spurred by the erroneous mail out.
Mayor Darren Inkster and councillors Keith Thirkell, Alice Lutes, Ann Kershaw and Warren Allan sat listening to the hours of debate from the public. Janisch heard the majority of comments, but left about a half hour before the meeting ended, when a short recess was called. Coun. Fred Taylor was not at the meeting.
Council will now wait for the staff report to come forward, likely to the April 20 council meeting. Then they will decide whether to give the rezoning second and third reading. If approved, fourth reading and final adoption could be scheduled for the May 4 council meeting.
