City Council turns an eye towards the Ridley Privatization plan

Last Monday's City Council session tackled a number of items of note to start the new year, but as the weeks go by, one item that would seem to be looming on their radar, will be the proposed sale of Ridley Terminals to private interests.

Councillor Joy Thorkelson raised that item of concern at last week's Council meeting, reminding Council of their interest in the topic the last time that the Privatization issue was raised.

At that time, City Council examined and discussed the issue of the day and sided with the Conservatives in the quest to stop the privatization vision in place at that time.

The prospect of the proposed privatization plan of 2009 provided for a united front from across Northern BC's communities, a coalition that seemed designed to keep the Terminal as a public asset.

A few years later, however the Conservatives are putting in forward the process for the sale to take place and the issue again seems destined for conversation at City Hall.

Thus far however, the topic doesn't seem to be generating quite as much energy or conversation as that last time it came up for debate, something that perhaps will change when Council weighs in with some thoughts.

At last weeks meeting, Councillor Thorkelson requested that city staff compile a report on why Council was against the sale the last time it came up for discussion and recommended that Council again take some time to examine the issue further.

The issue of a Ridley Terminals sale seems to pop up rather regularly, it was a newsworthy item in 2005, in 2009 and now again in 2013.

Council members will have their chance to offer up their thoughts at an upcoming council session, after they have had a chance to review that requested report from City Staff .

You can review some of the developments on the Ridley File from our Ridley Terminals Archive.