Nanaimo's plan to borrow $90M for public works yard faces pushback
'This is a necessary. This is basic infrastructure.'
A controversial plan to borrow $90 million to address what the City of Nanaimo is calling critical upgrades to its public works yard is facing pushback from some residents.
The loan would cover upgrades to the fleet maintenance building, which is too small for modern garbage trucks and fire trucks, as well as improve on what the senior project manager Michael Lonsdale calls a "crude" administration building, which is not up to modern B.C. building code standards.
"The trouble is we have a lot of folks working out of the yard here, out of buildings that are from the late 50s, early 60s, that just don't meet the needs of the community today," said Michael Lonsdale, senior project manager.
"They just don't meet the needs that our crews have to deliver services to the community today."
Public Works tackles city services such as water treatment, garbage removal and road maintenance, to name a few, Lonsdale says.
What is an AAP?
The city is seeking permission to borrow the money through the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) instead of through a referendum.
An AAP assumes that all electors are in favour of the proposal — those who dissent must fill out an objection form and submit it to the city within a certain time frame— as opposed to a yes or no vote.
In order for the AAP to fail, 10 per cent of eligible electors must submit objections, which in the case of Nanaimo, would be just over 7,000 people.
It's the third attempt at such a process. The first attempt last November passed, but after a local lawyer found a clerical error, the result was voided — although the City says that after consulting with its own lawyers, the result should have stood.
A second attempt was halted in early 2024 after an error providing objection forms.
The process has been met with pushback from residents on each attempt.
Noni Bartlett has helped found what she calls a city oversight society, which has been out canvassing the past few weeks, encouraging residents to fill out objection forms.
She says she doesn't have a problem with the project itself but with how the city has handled the process.
"I find it very unsettling that the people who are supposed to give approval have no idea that they've already been deemed to have approved when they don't even know about the bylaw and the loan in the first place," said Bartlett.
She says a referendum would be a more appropriate way to approach the ask.
The city stands by its use of an AAP. Lonsdale says it provides more time and opportunity for electors to have their voices heard, while Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog says it cuts down on costs.
"Referendums really should be for processes and for projects that are what I will call more the 'nice to haves' than the necessaries," said Krog.
"This is necessary. This is basic infrastructure."
Michael MacKenzie, a Vancouver Island University political science professor, weighed in after the second attempt at an AAP and told CBC that it's important to understand the purpose of an AAP as a tool to allow governments to take action when necessary.
"This policy is not meant to delay or stop government actions that are broadly supported by the public," said MacKenzie.
"It's not meant to empower minorities to block governments from acting more generally, right? We elect our governments to act."
According to the city's senior project manager, if the AAP fails, staff will go back to council to seek further direction, which could be to potentially delay the project, seek a referendum, or substantially change the project and attempt a fourth AAP.
Residents have until Thursday to submit their dissent to city hall.
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