The council spent the better part of an hour and half discussing the future of a project that has been debated for nearly seven years.
A path forward for the Saint Andrews wharf project remains unclear.
“If we’re planning to see this project to completion, time is somewhat running out on us,” said Chief Administrative Officer Chris Spear.
The wharf, an iconic backdrop of downtown Saint Andrews is plagued by a weight restriction and under threat by rising sea levels.
There is roughly $5 million available for the project from other levels of government, but changing the scope of the project or deciding not to do it would put the money at risk.
A proposal and design brought forward by engineering firm CBCL proposed expanding Market Square, and infilling a significant area to build up the wharf and repair much of the damaged wharf structure.
The original rendering published to the community. (Town of Saint Andrews/Submitted)
The council has questioned how CBCL has handled the situation, including ignoring concerns raised by several councillors throughout the process.
Further concerns raised by councillors
Coun. Steve Neil said he wanted to see the council do another public consultation.
“I firmly believe that the general public doesn’t understand what we’re proposing here,” he said.
Neil said he felt the new drawings didn’t give an accurate picture of how much of the wharf would be buried by infill – material used to fill in a space.
“It is between 260 and 270 feet of the existing wharf structure that is being consumed, now, by this infill,” he said. “Environmentally, in my opinion, it’s a disaster.”
He said the design will “irreversibly” change the waterfront. Neil said it seemed unethical to partially pay for a project in another community designed to offset the impact of the infill around the wharf.
“I don’t think the public chose it, I think the public settled for it,” he said, adding that this option was touted as the most affordable option and the quickest to complete.
Neil felt there would be further burden given there is no plan for the rest of the wharf after the initial project.
“I think we are leaving a future council and the future taxpayers a heavy burden,” he said.
Coun. Darrell Weare agreed with Neil. He questioned the timeline for when the remainder of the wharf might face weight restrictions, similar to the first third of it.
“No one has mentioned how this is going to extend the useful life of the wharf,” he said.
Although, the municipality’s staff said it will remain difficult to know exactly when the wharf could become unusable for vehicles.
The legacy project
However, the wharf project is another on a list of things this council wanted to accomplish before the next general election in May 2026 – a bit of a legacy project.
Coun. Kurt Gumashel said there have been some councils who were known for what they did not accomplish.
“I just don’t want to end up being the council that lost the wharf,” he said. “I’m quite concerned that if we lose that funding, we’ll lose the wharf.”
Outgoing Mayor Brad Henderson said during the meeting that a bad option is not doing anything – given the feedback the town received about the way the wharf ties into the fabric of the community.
This new rendering shows more extensive infilling around the Saint Andrews wharf, which was only posted to the website on May 26, 2025. (Town of Saint Andrews/Submitted)
“People in the Town of Saint Andrews expect us to have a wharf,” he said during the meeting.
Coun. Lee Heenan also said the town must maintain the wharf.
“I really feel we don’t have a town without a wharf,” he said during the meeting. “I don’t want this to be the council’s legacy,” Heenan said.
The council was divided on how to move forward, agreeing doing nothing didn’t feel like an option.
The controversy and options
The discussion comes as some members of the community have pushed back against the wharf project. A petition has been created and an open letter showing the various impacts of the wharf to local properties.
A new rendering of the wharf project that includes how significant the infill will be has been published on the town’s website, indicating it had been posted May 26, 2025.
The previous version did not show the extent of the infill.
Henderson said this was the primary reason for bringing the discussion forward, adding the questions being raised now would have ideally been raised earlier.
However, over the last several months, questions were raised about the need for an environmental assessment and the impact to neighbouring properties by several councillors and residents.
“The council represents the community,” he said. “Although you can’t make everybody happy, some councillors are struggling with how to move forward.”
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