PORT STANLEY: New organization favours the proposal
By CHIP MARTIN, The London Free Press

The newly-formed Port Stanley Village Association is backing a deal that would see the federal government hand the Lake Erie harbour over to local control.
The plan, to be voted on by Central Elgin council Thursday night, falls far short of a $30-million makeover plan favoured by the community and council, but the ratepayer group finds merit in it.

"The consensus is, there is sufficient here to support the deal," village association president Dan McNeil said Wednesday.
"There is no meat on the bones and the devil is in the details," he conceded, but it warrants support.

McNeil, a long-time critic of Transport Canada which negotiated the deal in secret, said the public will continue to have a say as contaminated harbour lands are cleaned up to provincial standards for parkland.

"Transport Canada has to go public with that," he said of the effort to deal with the contaminated east headland. "There is opportunity for public input."
McNeil noted Transport Canada has promised to indemnify the municipality for environmental liability and it must be persuaded to remove the former Omstead Fisheries building that's full of asbestos insulation.

Central Elgin held a meeting Tuesday to unveil the proposed harbour deal reached after five years of talks. Reaction among the audience of 350 residents was mixed, with many upset at the short time frame between seeing the plan and council's vote.

Transport Canada won't say how much it's committing to the harbour and it rejected any funds for a new community centre (Stork Club), docks for visiting boaters or boat launch ramp.

Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston said he's pleased McNeil and his ratepayer group want council to accept the deal.
"That's fantastic," the Conservative backbencher said.

"It's a happy day for Port Stanley," he said, adding he will be "a champion" for the port when it seeks federal money for things like the new community centre. "I think my provincial colleague (Liberal Steve Peters) will do the same thing."

E-mail chip.martin@sunmedia.ca