Mayor outlines concerns over recent weekly newspaper article on Watson Island

At the tail end of the August 18th Council session, Mayor Jack Mussallem called into question some of the observations of a recent Northern View article on the theme of Watson Island.

The article posted to the weekly paper's website on August 6th, outlined the disappointment of a potential Watson Island backer, who through the newspaper questioned the nature of a recent exclusivity agreement announced between the City and Watson Island LNG.

The portion of the article that appears to have caught the attention of the Mayor, was Mr. Kim's thoughts on Watco and his mention of major industrial names that he stated were more viable for development.

The Mayor for his part outlined his objections to the nature of that commentary and called attention to his issues of concern regarding it.

Reading from a prepared text, the Mayor observed the following:

"My last item is that ... recently there was an article in the local newspaper entitled WATCO backer questions Council's motives and integrity.  As has been announced previously, the concerns of the City regarding Watco's abilities to proceed ... are heading to court.  

As it concerns our City Council, all members of Council are interested in having Watson Island generate the greatest benefit for our city and the region in terms of taxation and employment opportunities.

While I can't say much more as the matter proceeds to court, I can advise that Prince Rupert City Council has never received a written submission, an offer to purchase, or a request to commence any activities on Watson Island,  by Jason Young Kim of Global Resources and Energy Enterprises.

If Jason Youn Kim believes Watco has partners including CN Rail, Samsung and Hyundai, he is welcome to provide written proof in court" 

You can review the full account of the Mayor's thoughts on the article and Mr. Kim's observations from the City's Video Archive, the statement and commentary comes as part of the Mayor's comments portion of the August 18th council session, it runs from the 35 to 38 minute mark of the council meeting.

As of the end of August, the Northern View had not yet offered comment regarding the Mayor's concerns on their article of earlier that month, nor it appears, to have followed up on those concerns with any form of additional articles.

You can find more items of interest on the theme of Watson Island from our archive page.

For more on developments with Prince Rupert City Council see our Discussion points from Council feature.