Our community seemed to have dodged a big cleanup bill when Spudnik went south in the early morning of Nov. 12.
Cleanliness of our shoreline is our big responsibility. The “free” moorage on our waterways can be controlled by the riparian holder of the water lot lease. These persons should be held accountable to municipal standards of safety and environmental cleanliness. They are responsible in the same manner that individual taxpayers are required to maintain their property to accepted standards.
The long overdue Marine Strategy Report should be tabled and actively discussed. It has been eased down the priority list and is in jeopardy of being lost. The Marine Strategy Report needs to address all aspects of our ocean and river frontage. This will require input from commercial, recreational, environmental and governmental organizations. These groups will generate much dialogue, which will likely overwhelm municipal staff.
Coordination could be improved and quickened by having a separate entity reporting to our municipal council. It is time to set up a harbour commission and set firm timelines. Other small towns in Canada operate successful port facilities, e.g. Port Alberni and Caraquet, N.B. Squamish was a proclaimed port until 1999 and could be reinstated. Council should establish an unpaid harbour commission of five or more local citizens and give bylaw authority to oversee all waterfront activity.
It is time to get proactive!
James Gracie
Squamish
