By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express

It’s been coined the dawn of a new age.
The end to a titanic battle.
A deal has been reached and released when it comes to the future of Oshawa’s harbour, which means a 40-year stalemate has come to an end.
During a private media function before the highly anticipated public meeting on the deal, Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, Minister of International Cooperation and Durham MP Beverley Oda, along with Mayor John Gray and Oshawa Harbour Commission (OHC) Chair Gary Valcour, announced some news for operations at the port.
The federal government is investing $10.2 million to transfer the port’s industrial activities from the west wharf to the east wharf. This will make way for new fencing and landscaping near the city’s parks so residents won’t be hindered by industrial activity on the west side, MP Carrie says.
“This is a really big deal for me,” says MP Colin Carrie, who says making headway on the harbour was one of his campaign promises years ago.
“This harbour area is an important economic and cultural asset that significantly contributes to the quality of life of the people of Oshawa and Durham Region.”
The $10 million is on top of $9 million that the federal government promised last year to clean up the contaminated harbour lands, which is slated to be complete in spring 2011.
“It’s a vital part of the city as well as the region’s economy,” says Minister Oda.
“This whole harbour area is a local attraction. It’s certainly an important asset. It (the investment) will create jobs. Together we have reached an understanding.”
But while this money was a large part of the deal, there were some other historic decisions made when it comes to what government owns which lands at the harbour.
According to the city, nearly 41 per cent of the 61 acres, which amounts to 29 acres, will be transferred back to the city. An additional 19 acres of Crown land also will be transferred to the city.
All of the land is located on the west side of the harbour and includes the former marina lands, which Mayor Gray says will open up the potential to reestablish the Oshawa Marina that closed in 2002.
“We pave a new horizon,” he says.
“It’s a deal we’re all going to be able to live with. In negotiations you never get 100 per cent of what you want.”
The deal also settles a $300 million lawsuit between the City of Oshawa and the Oshawa Harbour Commission, CN Railway and the federal government regarding the caveated lands and what the city wanted back.
Other key aspects to the deal include the City spending $1 million to develop new parkland on the newly acquired lands. This money has already been set-aside in the reserve fund, says City Manager Bob Duignan, who repeatedly told members of council that this is the best deal possible.
“It’s a pretty good outcome,” he says.

“We had no land to bargain with. We did manage to get a $10 million investment. We’ve set the stage. For 40 years this has not moved an inch.”
But as some key details unfolded to the crowd of about 200 people during the public session, some people weren’t as happy with the deal as others. They also weren’t happy with the format of the meeting, as there was no formal question and answer period.

This resulted in a chaotic scene as members of the public flooded to displays trying to ask questions to the mayor and MP Carrie.
“Why aren’t the Gifford Farm lands not being transferred to the city?” Friends of Second Marsh Executive Director shouted to MP Carrie after the formal presentation amongst a crowd of people.
He also wondered why the proposed ethanol plant was left out of the deal entirely, especially after council made a formal opposition to the plant.
MP Carrie says it simply wasn’t part of the negotiations.
And Mayor Gray echoes his comments.
“Obviously, all the caveated land didn’t come back,” he says, adding Gifford Hill is now Crown land.
“The agreement was silent to ethanol. They have agreed to a public process (should any proposals come forward). I don’t see where it’s (an ethanol plant) economically viable.”
For Wayne Pleau, who attended the meeting, the whole deal is at least movement in the right direction.
“I have a lot of questions. At least I understand now because of the lawsuit why things weren’t so open,” he says of the negotiations that were kept hush-hush for more than a year.
“Thing weren’t going on the way it was. It’s good something is being done.”
Negotiations started last June after Canada’s Transport Minister John Baird declared that the Oshawa harbour would be run by a Canada Port Authority (CPA). This means the federal government will still own the lands, creating an authority composed of representatives from the city, the province, the federal government and stakeholders.
This goes against a September 2008 report by David Crombie, which recommended the lands be returned to the city. A governance model was supposed to be developed from there.
So what is the vision for the harbour?
The City’s vision means it will begin to finalize the Waterfront Master Plan, meaning it will look into creating a development of commercial and residential properties at the waterfront. The City will also work with landowners on the north side of Harbour Road to revitalize the area and move forward with a development plan.
“It may seem strange at first but 40 years will do that,” Mayor Gray told members of the crowd.
“We’re making it a people place. The marina is number one because that is what is going to drive residential areas.”
Eventually the OHC will merge into a Canada Port Authority and a rail spur may be built by the CPA and CN.
The CPA will also begin to prepare its first Land Use Plan to outline what it intends to do with the lands.
The OHC will also begin to plan buffers along the roadways adjacent to the harbour lands to complement the further development of the Waterfront Trail, a city report states.
“This agreement heralds a renaissance in the port,” says Valcour, adding Oshawa will have a modern industrial working port.
“This is a great day for the citizens of Oshawa.”

And while there may be some hesitation from some residents, Mayor Gray says a long-time battle has now ended and the deal will benefit everyone.
“We will have a multi-use waterfront. People, consumers and day-trippers can all flock down Simcoe Street. People will once again set sail here.”
To see details of the agreement visit www.oshawa.ca

Key decisions in harbour settlement:

• Feds invest $10 million to transfer port activities from west wharf to east wharf
• City acquires 48 acres of land to potentially reestablish the marina and create residential and commercial opportunities
• A $300 million lawsuit is settled as a result of negotiations
• The ethanol plant and the future of the Gifford Farm lands were not included in the settlement
• The City is required to spend $1 million developing new parkland
• There will be no impact on the tax base and taxes because of the settlement
• The government will give $200,000 to the Oshawa Harbour Commission to create landscape buffers adjacent to Farwell and Simcoe Streets and Harbour Road
• $9.2 million was already promised to clean up the harbour lands
• A Canada Port Authority has been established
• A rail spur may be built by the Canada Port Authority and CN
• City to provide $30,000 a year for 15 years in tax relief to the port