The Ladysmith Maritime Society continues to try to come up with solutions to its lease disagreement with the Town of Ladysmith and Stz’uminus First Nation, but it no longer has a seat at the table with the water lot’s holding corporation.
On Tuesday, Oct 3, council released information from closed meetings in March, July, and September that show council made changes to the holding corporation which, according to LMS board members, holds “the agreements to operate the [Ladysmith Community Marina].”
According to the documents, during a closed meeting of council in March, council approved unspecified changes to the articles of incorporation of the DL2016 Holding Corporation and applied to the Inspector of B.C. Municipalities for approval of the amendments.
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In July, the documents noted, council approved additional changes requested by the inspector, and in a closed session on Sept. 26, the town received approval to change the articles of the corporation, which was renamed the Ladysmith Harbour Economic Development Corporation, and three board members of the corporation, including LMS board member Richard Wiefelspuett, were “dismissed with thanks.”
At a maritime society open table meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3, Wiefelspuett said he met with the corporation board one last time in late September and he received a letter from Mayor Aaron Stone saying “thank you for your service and I’m no longer a director,” which he called bizarre.
Stone didn’t answer questions about the closed meeting documents at this week’s council meeting, saying the topic was not on the agenda and adding that he wouldn’t comment about the maritime society under legal advice.
Wiefelspuett speculates because it’s increasingly difficult to form a municipality-owned corporation now compared to 2009, when DL2016 was first incorporated, the town is repurposing the existing corporation to meet its needs related to the waterfront area plan.
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He ensures local boaters and community members “that we have ownership of the [marina] today, the [marina] tomorrow, and definitely on Dec. 31.”
LMS directors expect to meet with Nanaimo-North Cowichan MLA Doug Routley later this month to discuss the ongoing lease issue, and the society is hopeful of organizing a panel discussion with town councillors and Stz’uminus representatives. As well, the society says its legal team is working on filing a court injunction.
bailey.seymour@nanaimobulletin.com
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