Prince Edward County residents turned out in force during Tuesday’s council meeting to urge councillors to keep up the fight in an ongoing legal battle with Picton Terminals shipping port, though the battle may already be over.
Ten separate deputations were brought before the council by residents, but before they got to speak, Mayor Steve Ferguson announced that the settlement terms had been accepted by the terminals. The announcement came after council met in closed session before the start of the open meeting.
One of the municipality’s lawyers advised council and residents that because the terms had been accepted, council is no longer able to make changes to them. A by-law to enact the settlement is expected to come before council at its next meeting.
After the mayor spoke, the meeting moved on to the deputations, allowing the residents to have their say on the matter. Many of the deputations shared some common concerns including both air and water pollution, increased road traffic with large 18-wheeler trucks, potential tourism impacts, and a lack of transparency due to the settlement offer being done behind closed doors. Most of the deputations also mentioned the residents’ displeasure that the settlement was proceeding.
Many of the residents had spoken to council previously on this issue, including the first speaker, David MacKinnon. MacKinnon said that over years he’s sailed the entirety of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and that Picton Terminals is in the worst possible spot for a port.
“Picton Terminals has none of the things necessary to be a successful port. It has no rail connection, no airport, no easy access to the U.S. border, little consulting and customs infrastructure, poor road connections, and is ice-bound for much of the year,” said MacKinnon
One of the other deputations, by Ryan Wallach, said that the county was giving up far too easily, and encouraged councillors to bring the terminals to court and hear their actual arguments.
“I urge you to at least proceed to the point where they have to file something,” said Wallach. “You can settle this case any time you want. Doing it before you have even looked at your cards, actually it’s before Picton Terminals has even looked at their cards. They’re just calling your bluff now expecting you to fold because you’re afraid of them.”
The settlement terms still have not been revealed to the public. The terms will not be announced until the settlement is written into a by-law and is to be voted on by councillors.
