The Town of Gibsons has lost more than $200,000 in arbitration after attempts to more than double the Marina lease rental fees failed.

Documents recently released via a Freedom of Information request reveal that in 2013 the arbitrator appointed to settle the dispute between the Town and Gibsons Marina Hotel Inc. (GMHI) over the rental fees for the next 30 years did not agree with any of the Town’s arguments for higher rates. The Town paid the legal costs and arbitration fees in 2013 and 2014.

GMHI sold the Marina to Marina Hotel Holdings Ltd (MHHL), a Klaus Fuerniss enterprise, in May this year.

At their November 3 meeting, Gibsons council gave first reading to a plan to transfer all funds out of the Parks Acquisition Reserve Fund, a total of $338,000, and place them in the Capital Projects Reserve Fund, with the intent of donating $275,000 of the total to a non-park project, the expansion project of the Gibsons Public Market.The bylaw is on the council agenda for possible second and third reading Tuesday night.

We believe that allocating these funds for projects unrelated to parks acquisition is entirely inappropriate.

The expansion of the public market is not the issue—we consider that the concept of a public market is a good one. But the simple fact is the market is not a park. It is a property and business development project.

On Tuesday night at the regular meeting of Gibsons council, the spot zoning and Official Community Plan amendment bylaws for “the George” development were passed.

Each councillor and the mayor came to the table with prepared speeches, which they each delivered before saying they intended to support the bylaw.

There was NO DISCUSSION whatsoever of any aspect of the project.

Neither were there questions of staff, nor consideration of ANY of the concerns expressed so articulately at the public hearing.

Issues regarding the town’s legal obligations to deal with the contaminated site were completely ignored. Concerns over broken promises to ensure peer reviews of hydrogeological and geotechnical issues were, mocked and downplayed.

The vote was 4:0 in favour of every aspect of the bylaws as written. 

As of October 6th 2015 at 5 pm, the Town of Gibsons has not responded to GABC's email request to honour their legal obligations re: the George re-zoning and the required site profile for the Hyak Marine contaminated. 

The Town of Gibsons will consider third reading of the bylaw at Council tonight.