Prince Edward County councillor Lenny Epstein.(Photo/Quinte News).
Prince Edward County council has erased two previous motions of support for the revitalization and expansion of Picton Terminals, a small industrial port on Picton Bay.
Support was almost unanimous for councillor Lenny Epstein’s motion to withdraw support for revitalization and an application for $10 million dollars from senior government to expand the terminal.
Epstein says the fuel spill from a partially sunken barge has a lot of implications for all of the stakeholders involved.
Councillor Treat Hull said if such a minor spill of fuel was causing a danger to a municipal water supply maybe a rethink of the entire idea of a port in Picton Bay should be looked at.
Councillors Hull and Harrison were among those of the opinion that drinking water should be taken from Wellington or elsewhere instead of Picton Bay for people in Picton and Bloomfield.
Meanwhile,Mayor Robert Quaiff said withdrawing support for Picton Terminals at this time will allow the municipality to start any new process involving the port with a clean slate.
Prince Edward County councillor David Harrison.(Photo/Quinte News).
Only councillor David Harrison voted against council pulling its support from Picton Terminals, saying the port’s owners, the Doornekamp family, were not at fault for the accident.
Mayor Quaiff said that neither he nor anyone else is blaming the Doornekamps for the accident, praising the terminal’s owners for their cooperation.
Meanwhile, the Doornekamps have cancelled a re-zoning application for expansion and have withdrawn an application for $10 million dollars in financial support from senior government.
Also today (Thursday), there was applause from people in the gallery at Shire Hall in Picton.
The brief ovation came when a couple of Picton residents stood and told county council that Picton Terminals, a small industrial port on Picton Bay, should be shut down.
One of them, Diane Martin, slammed both council and Picton Terminal’s owners, the Doornekamp family, for the way they’ve handled the fuel spill and water emergency caused by a partially sunken barge at the port.
Diane Martin wants Picton Terminals to close down.(Photo/Quinte News).
We remind you that every day until the emergency is over, county Mayor Robert Quaiff and municipal staff will provide updates on the emergency live online on the county’s website.
Quinte News and our radio stations, CJBQ, MIX97, and ROCK107 will also keep you up to date.
