By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express

Various spots around Oshawa’s harbour mean different things to different people.
But whether it’s looking across Lake Ontario at Lakeview Park, or walking along the Waterfront Trail, there are aspects of the harbour lands that are anything but scenic, says harbour activist Larry Ladd.

As he walks along parts of the harbour lands, some of which were given back to the city in the harbour agreement released last month, he says the future of Oshawa’s harbour is still in question.
He points out what he says is coal lingering in the ground near Montgomery Creek - also nicknamed Oily Creek.
He points out heaps of garbage near the water, people carelessly littering over the years to the point where there are rusted cans and piles of garbage right next to the ‘potential’ marina.
He points out just how much there is to clean up at the harbour.
“It’s about having clean access to your waterfront,” he says. “It’s your water.”
And while the highly anticipated harbour agreement did end a 40-year stalemate between the City of Oshawa and the federal government, not everyone was thrilled with the outcome.
“The city got the toxic remnants,” Ladd says, pertaining to the City acquiring 48 acres of land to potentially re-establish the marina and create residential and commercial opportunities.
“The people of Oshawa were never involved in this waterfront deal.”
Ladd says the agreement seems to only allot $5 million for the clean up, far less than the $9 million announced in 2009.

But when it comes to the clean up, according to the deal, up to $9.2 million was promised to clean up the harbour lands and the clean up is happening, says Oshawa MP Colin Carrie.
“It doesn’t mean they are going to spend all that,” MP Carrie says, adding that total costs have been tossed around, but may not come in as high as originally discussed.
“We’re moving ahead. Nobody has a crystal ball. We’ve got fantastic potential. As far as I know we are moving forward with the mitigation work. It is on date. March 31, 2011, it is on track for that.”
Transport Canada Spokesperson Maryse Durette says the clean up is slated to start in September.
“Transport Canada is currently in the tendering and procurement stage to address contamination in Oshawa Harbour marina lands and the west wharf lands under the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan,” she says.
“Work is expected to begin in September 2010 and will be completed by the end of March 2011. Lands will only be transferred to the City of Oshawa once the environmental mitigation work is complete.”

While residents of Oshawa anxiously await the clean up of the harbour, other aspects of the deal have both Ladd and other harbour watchers concerned.
Some key decisions in the harbour deal that have left some scratching their heads are the investment by the federal government of $10 million to transfer port activities from the west wharf to east wharf and what that means in terms of industry, the establishment of a Canada Port Authority (CPA), meaning a rail spur could be built by CN, and the fact that the ethanol plant and the future of the Gifford Farm lands were not included in the settlement.

“We’re disappointed. There was a huge lost opportunity here,” says Mark Mattson, president of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, adding the control is still in federal hands.

“It misses the vision of Oshawa,” he says. “It leaves the door open for industrial development. The big issues seem to have been avoided.”
But MP Carrie says when it comes to governance and the future of the harbour, particularly the idea of an ethanol plant, the public will always be informed.
“As for the CPA, that is progressing,” he says, adding he is optimistic for the future.
“I’m pretty excited about the whole thing. The businesses are reassured. There are some that will be never be happy with any deal. All sides are ready to bury the hatchet.”
And, he says, the ethanol plant hasn’t been in any discussions that he is aware of.
“I couldn’t tell you. There’s no plans for an ethanol plant down there,” Carrie says.
“Any future development will now be a public process. The issue is dead. There is industrial interest down there”
But when it comes to hard facts, figures and details of what the Oshawa Harbour Commission or the CPA intends to do with its lands, there hasn’t been any firm plans released to date.
“Only those lands required for port operations were retained by the Crown and will continue to be managed by the Oshawa Harbour Commission. Once the Canada Port Authority is created, they will make any future decisions on land use,” says Durette.
“Other key benefits from settling the land related issues include a long-term investment in the port through the future creation of a Canada Port Authority, which would be beneficial to port users and landowners around Oshawa Harbour because it would create stability at the Oshawa Harbour,” she explains.

Donna Taylor, CEO and port manager of the Oshawa Harbour Commission, says it is still finalizing all the details after going through the agreement, and it is still building a road map for the future of the commission’s portion of the harbour.
“The CPA will be proceeding with its normal process,” she says, adding it could take six months to a year before it is formed.
“We are catching up and making sure we’re doing everything in a timely manner.”
She says the contractors conducting the clean up have arranged a site visit for Sept. 2
The commission is now looking into an environmental overview to map out plans for west wharf and where the $10 million will go, adds Taylor.
“It’s going to remain industrial port operations. It’s not just a long dock, there’s lands attached to that,” she says.
“We can start thinking of promoting the place. It’s a little soon after the (agreement) announcement to have any firm plans.
“It definitely does mean that the City of Oshawa, the Oshawa Harbour Commission and Transport Canada have clear lines drawn in terms of who owns what.”
But Mattson says the City should have retained more power.
“The City of Oshawa has been a small player against a very powerful player,” he says.
“I know that the City’s been the scrappy underdog in this battle. These issues about control and ownership are central to the future of our communities.”
For Ladd it just comes down to being open and transparent.
“Why the secrecy? I don’t blame the city,” he says.
“But it’s their (the residents) tax dollars. The federal government should be sharing their intentions. Is the heavy industrial port going to affect our beachfront? There’s only one waterfront in Oshawa.”

For MP Carrie the clean up, the CPA and the future of Oshawa’s harbour looks bright, and he says the residents should be pleased.
“I’ve been working very hard to build bridges not tear them down,” he says.
“I’m committed to the people who want to work with me.”