A group of Tuwanek area residents opposed to the rezoning of land that would allow Target Marine Hatcheries Ltd. to begin processing fish and roe raised on site were upset with Sechelt council at Wednesday's meeting.
In a close four to three vote, council passed second and third readings to rezone a portion of Target Marine's land so they can build a small processing plant.
"Why are you determined to push this through when the public isn't happy," shouted one woman during the proceedings. About a dozen people stamped their feet and clapped in response.
Discussions among councillors were extensive. In all votes, councillors Keith Thirkell, Darren Inkster and Warren Allan were in opposition while councillors Barry Poole, Ed Steeves, Mike Shanks and Mayor Cam Reid voted in favour.
Thirkell pushed for an amendment to the bylaw that would limit Target Marine to processing sturgeon and sturgeon roe raised on site. The current wording of the application asks to be allowed to extract roe, process roe and process fish reared on site. The bylaw proposed allows for a .35 ha area of Target Marine's 4.4ha property for the plant.
Thirkell's motion to amend the bylaw failed to the vocal dismay of residents in attendance.
Inkster tried to have the decision tabled so residents and the proponent could try to negotiate a solution on their own. Again, the audience erupted in support, but this motion also failed to pass.
Poole said it is not the role of the local government to be the watchdog of this operation and cited that the federal and province governments have no concerns with the hatchery and processing plant proposal. Allan disagreed, saying local governments are responsible to be stewards for their own districts.
"Aging homes probably have much greater impact on the inlet from aging septic tanks," said Poole.
Allan wanted the decision to be tabled and asked for the motion again. He said that a provincial study of the inlet is expected within six to eight months and that council would be remiss if they let Target Marine go ahead with the processing plant when it is unknown from a scientific standard how it will impact the slow moving inlet.
Allan's motion to table was also defeated.
Thirkell, who lives near the proponent, was complimentary of Target Marine and its manager Justin Henry. He said he felt the hatchery was doing its best to address community concerns like noise levels and smell and had chosen an area on their property that would have the least amount of impact. He said he appreciated the world-class technology and species preservation of white sturgeon at the hatchery, but his reservation remained that a promise to the residents of no industrial activity should not be broken.
An interesting topic of discussion that brought rumblings from the audience was the definition of M3 and M3-A. While M3-A is the new bylaw that would allow for the processing plant on a small parcel of land, M3 zoning covers the rest of the hatchery and allows for as many fish tanks as Target Marine chooses to put on them. The potential fish raised in those tanks would all feed the processing plant. There is no cap on increasing tank numbers.
Thirkell then made a motion to cap processing at 125 tonnes per year. This was not a number in Target Marine's application, but was a number suggested during informal meetings. Henry then clarified for council that the number was based on projected roe extraction if the sturgeon were 50 kilos. Some of the fish have now exceeded 90 kilos, and therefore, a number for tonnage extracted could not be accurately predicted.
The motion to cap tonnage at 125 was defeated.
Reid urged his staff to work with Henry to address and resolve the concerns of area residents so the hatchery and community can maintain positive relations. The issue moves forward to a fourth reading at a later council meeting.
