A decision about the Saint Andrews wharf is delayed again pending a study from Gemtec about the impacts on the habitat and environment the infill and project could pose.
In a lengthy and heated discussion, former Mayor Brad Henderson suggested conducting the study to alleviate concerns raised by residents and other councillors.
The wharf was originally delayed following intervention from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Work is scheduled to begin October 2025.
Henderson blamed social media for the change in direction by the council who have also expressed concerns about the project. He asked then-Deputy Mayor Kate Akagi to act as chair so he could enter the debate, which is in accordance with the town’s procedural bylaws.
“I kind of felt two weeks ago, the council was at a crossroads,” he said. “We were kind of confused, we were hesitant and I asked myself why all of a sudden was council hesitating … what I think actually happened was you got on social media, you saw the online petition, and it made you second guess and that’s OK.”
After, Henderson implied the resident may have paid for the promotion of the petition to a wider audience on Facebook to get more signatures and likes.
A petition was created through Change.org, which has amassed 247 signatures. Resident Cindy Kohler created the petition.
“Some of the people who like and share this stuff are legitimate, some of them are algorithms of people who don’t live in this community,” he said. “I do it all the time, I had 400 likes on a post, guess how many tickets I sold at the event? 12,” he said.
Former Mayor Brad Henderson entered the debate for the wharf project. (Aidan Raynor/The Courier)
He argued that the time to bring forward concerns would have been earlier in the process, but at least two councillors shared consistent concerns including Coun. Darrell Weare and Coun. Steve Neil – both experienced in their respective field that relate to marine biology and wharves.
Kohler was able to respond to comments made by the mayor and another member of the public by saying regardless of how she chose to get the message out, she has been involved in the process from the beginning.
“I chose to do it more publicly so people would sit up and pay attention,” she said. “I’ve been called out a lot tonight, humiliated, but I chose to speak up.”
The issue at hand
The delay could impact the future timeline of the project, but also continues to chip away at the time left for the town to use federal monies made available for the project.
Gemtec is charging the town $25,000 for this study – over eight weeks.
Some of the council wanted to send the project out to tender as well, but the Chief Administrative Officer said it is important the council knows for sure it is moving ahead before asking a construction firm to put in the work for a tender.
“If you’re looking for a way out because of the modelling exercise, it’s probably not fair to put them through all that effort,” Spear said.
Deputy Mayor Steve Neil, who has worked in marine biology for several decades, has expressed concerns throughout the process. At the last month’s meeting, Neil said he felt the current design of the wharf was not one the community wanted, but one it settled for, the option that was most affordable and quickest.
During the meeting, he said he’s spoken with several subject matter experts on the wharf, saying they had “grave concerns about habitat and sedimentology.”
“We have not had that expert consultation,” he said.
Coun. Darrell Weare also said he didn’t feel comfortable going to tender without having a proper environmental assessment – taking aim once at the CBCL – the engineering firm the council has criticized for not doing the EIA initially.
In favour of the project
Kevin Simmonds, the owner of The Herring, came to present to the council in favour of the wharf project. He expressed a desire for the council to move forward with something to protect Market Square and the wharf.
“The wharf is an economic driver for this town, and we really need to look forward,” he said during his presentation to the council.
He referenced a previous wharf committee, which was disbanded following several resignations. Simmods said the committee commissioned the Cormier report, adding that it said the wharf had 15 years of useful life.
Simmonds’ business will be directly impacted by any changes to Market Square, but said doing nothing is not an option.
He asked the council to strike up a steering committee immediately to assist the council in getting the project to a stage where it can be approved.
“We need to do something,” Simmonds said, adding he would be in favour of something that protected the market square and the wharf but was not the hybrid infill originally proposed.
Coun. Lee Heenan questioned whether spending the money on a study would be fruitless because if the tender comes in over projections, the project will not go through.
The town staff told the council the federal funding is set to expire in March 2026.
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