After months of advocacy, the WPC met with Premier David Eby and Minister Nathan Cullen today, to voice the concerns of our coalition members regarding the Dock Management Plan. We discussed the fundamental issues and outlined a transparent process that we view as the best path forward. 

 The WPC outlined to the Premier and the Minister why we believe the current approach to the DMP is broken and has negatively impacted reconciliation. Unlike other crown tenure approvals and renewals where there is a single proponent, such as a mining or forest company, in our case, there are thousands of tenure holders who have been without representation.  The DMP has not been fair or workable to thousands of individual homeowners and small businesses who are trying to secure dock tenure renewals or approvals today.

The WPC presented overarching themes from our community, based on what we have heard: 

Community Concerns

Commentary 

1. Simplified Transparent Administrative and Appeals Processes

Absence of detailed and transparent plan with a decision maker to streamline the tenure application process, eliminate annual inspections, and introduce a clear public approval, denial, and appeal process.

2. Comprehensive Grandfathering and longer tenures.

The absence of clear language in the statement offers no guarantee regarding grandfathering.  
No mention of extending tenure terms to ensure stability and security for dock investments, 30 (residential) to 60 (commercial) years.

3. Site-Specific Best Management Practices (BMPs)

While updates suggest more flexibility, there's no clear commitment or defined approval process to site-specific BMPs that are fully supported by unbiased current science and that fully consider local environmental, structural variations and have safety in mind.

Our briefing document listed an additional 14 bullet points, many of which concur with the views of our coalition members who are independent and supporting their own memberships.  Our intent is to have those points included in the Advisory Groups terms of reference.  

Your WPC executive team are encouraged by today's meetings and are hopeful that a fair and transparent process will help create the path forward to a balanced solution. The Premier listened to our concerns and recognized the importance of working together in getting this right. We do not want to hamper reconciliation efforts. He told us he “gets it”, and he has heard us and wants a solution that works for everyone. We will continue to advocate strongly to build on the momentum that has led us to the Premier’s Office today. 

Next steps will be for WPC to provide our input on the terms of reference for the Dock Management Plan Advisory Group. The WPC is mindful of and willing to participate in discussions or engagements, provided a pre-determined outcome has not already been established. Our goal is that the Advisory Group, the Ministry and the shishálh Nation work together in a transparent fashion to find a workable solution, with clarity and certainty for all those affected by the DMP. Such a solution needs to be durable, and effectively & efficiently steward our waterfront communities well into the future.    

 We will keep you informed as the situation evolves.  Please consider making a donation to support our cause.  

Thank you for your ongoing support.