In the consensus emerging in a $100,000 feasibility study into the future of the harbour lands the federal government is trying to offload onto Central Elgin. It is found that declining shipping revenues with no prospect of change and no appetite among local ratepayers to cover the costs of dredging to current shipping standards are responsible.
It would be great to see Port Stanley as a commercial port again, admits Mark Conway, a lead consultant with N. Barry Lyon Consultants Ltd. But potential shipping revenues won’t cover an annual dredging bill of about $1 million, so given the demand from Central Elgin and its ratepayers that the harbour not become a financial burden, dredging to commercial depth is out of the question.
The consultant said once he distills the vision preferred by the public, he will present it to council and to another public meeting. Among those bound to be disappointed at the dredging scenario is Dan McNeil, a citizen activist on port divestiture and retired Canadian Navy rear admiral. He added that it could mean the death knell for Port Stanley as a commercial port.
