Wow – it’s been only a couple weeks since a group of concerned dock owners got together to form the Waterfront Protection Coalition (WPC). Our goal is to bring together a coalition of citizens from across British Columbia to challenge unfair proposed regulations relating to docks.  

Thank you for all your support and generous donations to date! We cannot achieve our collective goals without your vocal and financial support. We are encouraged by the community support and will continue working hard on this issue with other local and boating groups.

Society Set up and Executive Announced

Our lawyers are setting up our society with an interim executive board of directors. If you are interested in becoming a board member, coalition committee member or volunteer please let us know. 

  • Denise Brynelsen - Interim President
  • Bruce McLeod - Vice President 
  • Brandon Mennear - Treasurer 
  • Jim Case - Secretary
  • Tracy Laninga - Director

Code of Conduct

We are also developing a code of conduct for our society that ensures meaningful respectful dialogue with all stakeholders. 

Onboarding Advisors

The WPC has sought out assistance from independent experts in the area of the law that governs all aspects of the DMP: a team of experts who have deep and respected connections to First Nations, communications advisors, and aquatic science experts to validate or refute the findings that are currently being used. Our team will be supported by the research assembled by the Dock Defenders and other community groups. Shout out to everyone who sent the Dock Defenders excerpts, research, links, letters, thoughts, ideas and strategies. The Waterfront Protection Coalition is working on storing and organizing this large and growing database of documents relevant to the DMP, and will make the database available for public access in due course. 

FOI Appeal

Many of you have asked about the Freedom of Information (FOI) materials and the many redacted pages. We are putting in a request to have the redacted pages reviewed, and hopefully get some of those pages unredacted. The FOI process is very slow, but we will keep you posted as things proceed. 

FOI Breakdown here. 

Penner Report Government Response

In response to widespread public opposition to the original Dock Management Plan in 2015, the government commissioned former Attorney General Barry Penner to seek public input and provide recommendations. After further research, we have found the government's response to the 2016 Penner Report. We are currently reviewing these materials to determine whether any of the Penner recommendations were actually implemented. We submitted this document to the government Comment portal. This is a very interesting read: 

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016FLNR0010-000205 

We have linked the original report from Mr. Barry Penner here.

Political Update

On the political front, Kevin Falcon, Official Leader of the Opposition voiced his support for dock owners. Shortly after the WPC meeting, Kevin posted a video calling on the government to extend the comment deadline to September 2024. He also promised in the video that if he is elected Premier, he will “reverse this nonsense”. 

Kevin stated: “I’ve been hearing from coastal residents across the province with concerns about the NDP’s poorly thought-out dock management plan. It infringes on the property rights of coastal residents, potentially subjecting them to unfair regulations and costs – and the NDP’s deadline for public consultation closes tomorrow. This is simply not enough time for our communities to have their say, or for solid environmental analysis to take place to inform decisions. That’s why I’m calling for an extension to the public consultation period. Fair decisions require fair processes, and our coastal communities deserve just that."

Watch Here (may need Facebook) 

We are seeking an official meeting with the NDP government, however we have yet to encounter anyone willing to commit publicly that they are against how this has been rolled out. We are in constant email threads with assistants and MLAs and have had phone calls, but no one seems to want to go on the record. We are disappointed but will continue to reach out and attempt to engage in a meaningful dialogue. 

As quoted in the Ladysmith Marina injunction: 

“The cause of reconciliation will not be meaningfully advanced if the rights of innocent third parties [...] are ignored in the process" 

Ladysmith Maritime Society v Ladysmith (Town), 2023 BCSC 2285 

Action items: 

1. Donate to Support the Coalition and become a member of WPC:

Our GoFundMe campaign is live! Please consider making a donation to the Waterfront Protection Coalition to support our mutual interests. Your generous support will directly impact our ability to achieve our goals locally and eventually nationwide. The Waterfront Protection Coalition is founded and run exclusively by volunteers. Initial funding will be used for legal and PR firm related expenses. We expect to commission scientific, environmental and engineering studies, in support of our position that the reports the government are relying on are flawed. Together, by engaging with all affected stakeholders, we can make a long-term difference in our waterfront community that is fair and sustainable. 

 For donations over $5,000, please contact us to obtain transfer/wire details. 

2. Spread the Word

Please encourage your friends, family and colleagues to join the Waterfront Protection Coalition. The more members we have, the stronger our collective voice will be.

3. Join the Town Hall

Our first Virtual Town Hall meeting is currently scheduled for February 8th, 2024, 4pm PST. We will keep you posted and send the link out to everyone who has signed up to our website in the near future. 

4. Submit Your Letters:

One of the most urgent action items is to send in your letters to the government.

The deadline was extended and is now February 16th, 2024.

5. Expiring Tenures:

If your tenure is set to expire in 2024, we recommend contacting the Ministry to request an extension and seek clarification on their intentions. You can find an outline and a sample letter to use as a reference for crafting your message here.

6. Explore the Gator Tool

Curious about dock licenses? Here are some tools that the government employs to manage and track dock licenses. Take a look and follow our How-To here: 

7. BC Home Assessments and the DMP for Pender Harbour Area:

Given the looming DMP amendments, those of us in the current and proposed affected areas will all experience uncertainty regarding our property values next year. You can read more about decreasing Sunshine Coast home values for the first time in decades in the Coast Reporter. Some residents have chosen to submit an assessment appeal, taking the position that the DMP has negatively affected the value of their property.  Here is a link to get started on an appeal: Link.

Disclaimer: PLEASE NOTE THAT FILING AN ASSESSMENT APPEAL PUTS A PROPERTY OWNER AT RISK OF THE GOVERNMENT INCREASING THE ASSESSMENT VALUE OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. 

We wanted to share this new t-shirt design someone sent us! Shout out to the designer… you know who you are!

Together, we are standing strong and bringing a united voice.