Roy L Hales/ COrtes Currents - Transport Canada (CT) transferred administration of the wharves at Owen Bay on Sonora Island, Surge Narrows on Read Island, and Port Neville on the northern shore of the Johnstone Strait, over to the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) in 2014. The SRD was also provided with $2.9 million for maintenance and upgrades that were to be completed by 2024. These upgrades have not yet occurred. Nor has a service to carry out operations and maintenance been established for Area C. In the face of local opposition, the SRD deferred discussion of this issue until next January.At the September 21 board meeting, Chief Administrative Officer David Leitch explained, “Throughout the years, at every budget meeting that I've been at, we've been trying to establish a work service to put these in. The lack of establishment of the wharf service has delayed us in doing the capital works to these. It occurs greater liability and finally this year we had support from the area director as the other electoral area directors were adamant this year that they wanted that the liability removed from the admin function. So the Area C Director made the motion, supported all the votes on it and then for some reason we'd seen articles in social media that the director was supporting a referendum of the folks and subsequently, saying that there was gonna be increased cost of the service, lack of control and that is what we believe inspired a petition process that basically caused the service vote to fail.”In their report drawn up for this meeting, staff presented two options to the board: Option A - seek elector agreement through a voteOption B - abandon the service proposal and return the $2.9 million to Transport Canada.Jim Abram, the Regional Director for Area C, took exception to Leitch’s description, “First of all, I have to say, our CAO, with respect, is completely wrong on his assessment of why this failed. It had nothing to do with me. It had to do with a number of people on Quadra Island mainly, and on Reed Island, that were completely incensed by the fact that I had put it through to move to approval process. I was the target of the negative comments, not the SRD and it further moved to the SRD later, of course, but I have to say that the opposition to this proposal was due to a community lack of understanding and feeling that the service was being pushed through without proper consultation. That came from one local media, one of our local media and a few organizers, not me. I first heard about it when I was called by disgruntled constituents and in a letter. It was community driven period.”He explained that no money was being taken from any electoral area, including Area C. Only Transport Canada money had been used.“The service establishment could be dropped at this time and reintroduced at a later date with a better information campaign to assure approval. At that time, the service could be established for the three TC wharves,” proposed Abram. “There's no need to return the wharves to Transport Canada along with the funds. Transport Canada would not want, nor would they take them back. The money has been spent on the wharves and would be part of the return of the wharves should that take back piece happen, which it won't. I know it won't from having talked with Transport Canada.”Abram suggested this project be forwarded to either November or January, after which the meeting descended into a disagreement as to who should make the motion.