Recently in my “wee burg”, the federal Port Authority locked up, in a 25 year lease, several acres next to a public waterfront park with the plan of sub-leasing said land to a local boat building business.

What many people seem to have overlooked is that the business in question could have, and should have, approached the city directly and worked out a lease agreement without the unnecessary involvement of the Port Authority;  another thing that seems to have been overlooked is that one of our city councillors is an employee for the aforementioned boat building business.  Hmm…I smell something funky, and it’s not the next door neighbour’s barbecue.

In this “wee burg”, heavy industry has taken over nearly 95% of all waterfront access; the Port Authority has over 100 leases on both sides of our inlet, and seems to have the feeling that “we know what’s best for you, so be quiet and go away”.

Since further expansion of the park has been curtailed by the short-sightedness of the majority of city council, the Port Authority should cough up a healthy budget for ameliorating the ugly viewscape that will dominate one side of the park.  Full height trees to block the view from the park, full curtailment of all industrial traffic through the park, improved parking areas, proper topsoil brought in for grass, proper washrooms, lighting, tables, seating areas, and a covered pavilion for people to sit under during our frequent spells of rain should be the very minimum the public should expect.

This speaks to an even larger problem that is rearing its ugly head in this town: the erosion of control over the public commons.  ALL federal entities; ALL Crown land are owned by the canadian public.  That means that you, Dear Reader,  OWN it!  To that end, I propose that you repeat after me: “It’s MINE; I own it!”, and keep repeating it until you believe it.

It is time that all levels of government learn (or re-learn, rather) to have a healthy amount of fear and respect for the public; the public also needs to reclaim their right to be the dictatorial shareholder in all matters Federal, Provincial, and Municipal.  The public needs to demand, and expect, that Big Business’s whims will not supersede the will of the public.

If Big Business is going to remove from the public commons anything that is going to be used for the express pleasure of the business, then that business should have to beg the public for the right to do so, and fully expect to handsomely compensate the public for their largesse.