The City of Prince Rupert is promising to be transparent in discussions of a potential liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal on a newly-acquired parcel of land.
“Council feels this has to be totally transparent to the community. We do own this land, the community will have a big say in what we do with it. It’s not going to be like any other land on the waterfront,” said Coun. Barry Cunningham.
The land in question is District Lot 444, a parcel on the Prince Rupert harbour waterfront that was already owned by the city before it was acquired by the provincial government in May. Weeks after the province approved the boundary expansion, the city announced it was in discussions with Imperial Oil and Exxon Mobile to investigate the suitability of a LNG terminal on the west side of DL 444.
Around the same time, the city formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, Prince Rupert Legacy Inc., which will oversee any future sale of the land.
The announcement concerned many in the community as the eastern portion of DL 444 contains Prince Rupert’s water supply, including Larry Golden who brought his concerns to council last Monday.
But Coun. Joy Thorkelson clarified the company was set up to ensure if DL 444 was sold the money wouldn’t be restricted to additional land purchases and could be used on things like community infrastructure. She also said the project won’t move forward without community consultation, which was echoed by Mayor Jack Mussallem.
“In terms of any consideration, there will be opportunities for public meetings and also the rezoning process which allows for public comment,” he said.
“If the city receives money for the consideration of development, there will be an independent third party hired to review the proposed project, whatever that may be, and to do an analysis as to how the development may impact the surrounding waters, land as well as the air shed,” said Mussallem.
Furthermore, Coun. Anna Ashley said the proponents will present to council and host open houses in the future.
Incorporation documents for Prince Rupert Legacy Inc. show city manager Robert Long, chief financial officer Corinne Bomben and chief administrative officer Rory Mandryk are the directors, while the registering officer is the address of law firm Watson Goepel in Vancouver.
