Northside
councillor wants facilities ‘listed in black and white’
SYDNEY, N.S. - There will be no ship breaking
in North Sydney
That was the word from CBRM planning director
Malcolm Gillis after Dist. 2 Coun. Earlene MacMullin questioned whether
municipal zoning permitted such activity at the Canadian Marine Engineering
ship repair yard located on the Northside waterfront.
MacMullin said her confusion on the issue
stemmed from a 2016 Transport Canada report that listed CME’s North Sydney location
as a site where ship breaking could be carried out on steel-hulled vessels up
to 2,500 tonnes.
“That’s what prompted me to ask what was
going on, so when I asked the question Malcolm Gillis of the planning
department responded in an email that CBRM zoning doesn’t allow it, but
unfortunately later that same day I got another call from someone inside saying
that they can (break ships in North Sydney),” said MacMullin, who added she
felt compelled to get clarification on the matter during this week’s council
meeting.
Gillis reiterated his initial response
stating again that Cape Breton Regional Municipality zoning does not allow ship
breaking at CME’s North Sydney facility.
Although the question was answered, MacMullin
still insisted on a staff report on the issue.
“Originally, I was seeking clarification for
the North Sydney CME facility … I figured I would ask for it all as it would
clear up any issues for fellow councillors further down the road. As a result
of this staff paper we will have it listed in black and white what facilities
can and cannot (handle ship breaking),” she said.
Earlier this month it was announced that
Marine Recycling Corp. had won a $12.6-million federal contract to dismantle
two former Canadian Navy ships. The work on the HMCS Preserver and the former
research vessel CFAV Quest is to be carried out at Sydport Industrial Park in
Edwardsville. The former is docked at Sydport, while the latter has yet to
arrive.
Source:
cape
breton post. 16 August 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment