Western Stevedoring Stops Estuary Trail Development

Previous posts on our website have dealt extensively with the estuary trail project.

In a nutshell:

• In 2016 after extensive stakeholder consultation CERCA started construction of the "Estuary Nature Trail" to serve the community, educational institutions, and tourism as an ‘open air classroom’, initially with the cooperation of Western Stevedoring, current Lessee of the causeway.
• Phase I of the trail included removal of tons of invasive species with focus on broom; Phase II covered the construction of the parking lot and trail head kiosk (see photo), trail widening for wheelchair access, construction of first viewing platform and installment of interpretative signs along the first trail section. Island Savings was the major sponsor of Phase 2 supported by Duncan Paving, Stone Pacific, Dogwood Lumber, Cowichan Rentals and others.
• Work for the remaining two Phases scheduled for early 2017 would have included: construction of a second platform and one observation tower, removal of 800 m rail tracks to accommodate wheelchair access and placement of 10 additional interpretative signs.

In October 2016 Western Stevedoring informed CERCA  to stop all work pending clarification of liability insurance issues, re-confirmed in January 2017. CERCA has now been denied any further access for trail maintenance or additional project development. CERCA's independent legal advise on the liability issue revealed that the Lessee would not be liable if the trail is recognizable as a "recreational trail" (which it certainly is, just as any other trail within the CVRD operated by the CVRD Parks Branch). Although independent legal advice obtained by CERCA indicates that such liability issues are easily resolved, Western Stevedoring is no longer willing to grant access for trail clearing or any additional project development by CERCA.Since further access to the trail has been denied indefinitely, we believe it is important for the public to be aware of the current situation and why CERCA is not moving forward with intended plans of the next phases of trail construction, already funded and supported by many stakeholders.  CERCA also has been told to stop any other initiative such as an essential spring --clean up of the already finished part of the trail. We hope through public education, we can enlist support in demanding that government take back control of properties where leases are no longer in use for their original intended purpose.  This is of paramount importance, given the ecological sensitivity of estuaries, the ‘cradles of life’.