The draft dock management plan unveiled in Pender Harbour last weekend generated some audible anger, confusion and indignation among residents.
For property owners in areas like Gunboat Bay, where no new docks would be allowed and even existing docks deemed illegal would have to be removed under the draft plan, the concerns were obvious, starting with loss of water access and reduced property values.
Even outside the red zone, many residents were alarmed by the process. The plan was developed by the province and shíshálh (Sechelt) First Nation and then “sprung” on the community without any prior input. Given the plan’s potential impact on Pender Harbour, the process seemed top-down and offensive to many.
And since the dock plan is part of a greater reconciliation process going on between the province and the shíshálh, the release of the draft plan was complicated by other issues, such as the unresolved matter of longhouse structures sitting in two local parks.
“A lot of people might be just as mad about [the longhouses] as they are about the docks,” outspoken resident Tom Sealy speculated. “A lot of people don’t have docks. They don’t care about that.”
Despite the air of outrage that permeated the Pender Harbour Community Hall on Saturday, the take-home message from provincial government and band officials was encouraging. The plan was just a draft, they said, and attempts would be made to address the many concerns raised at the open house in the next revision. There was also an expressed willingness to extend the comment period beyond May 11 if enough people request it.
Unlike the B.C. government and the Sunshine Coast Regional District, some residents of Pender Harbour appear unwilling to recognize the shíshálh Nation’s authority in the area, or even acknowledge the boundaries of its traditional territory. For those individuals, it’s unlikely any revised dock plan would be acceptable.
For the rest of the community, now is the time to make your voices heard. Push for improvements to the plan, and push hard. As MLA Nicholas Simons said on Saturday, “We have an opportunity to talk about this more or fight about it, and I would prefer to talk about it.”
A plan for the Pender Harbour foreshore is on the table for discussion. Now it’s up to the three parties — the residents, shíshálh Nation and the province — to transform it into something the community can live with.
