New regulations bring 50 new jobs
Most of the staff of the provincial government that is currently involved with the management of aquaculture in B.C. is operating out of offices in Courtenay or Victoria on Vancouver Island. There is no doubt that many of them are polishing up their resumés these days in anticipation of the move to a federally regulated aquaculture industry.
There is already staff from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands that works out of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island- most of them involved in the issuance of land tenures for finfish and shellfish farms in B.C., and those jobs will likely remain there. But Nanaimo’s Mayor hopes that many of the new jobs will also be located in the city, as Darrell Bellart of The Daily News reports;
Nanaimo stands to gain new jobs when the federal government becomes the regulator of the B.C fish-farming industry. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans started writing fish-farming legislation for B.C. after the B.C. Supreme Court ruled last year the $600-million industry falls under federal jurisdiction. The draft legislation is now under a 60-day public review.
When federal fisheries takes over, it will create an entirely new agency to manage and enforce the new rules regulating the industry, and that means about 50 good-paying new jobs. About 10 to 15 enforcement officers will be needed, plus management and staff to collect and disseminate information to the public. Nanaimo's central location, the expertise of Vancouver Island University and the Pacific Biological Station should all give it an edge.
How many jobs Nanaimo will get is unclear. Office space availability and proximity to fish farms must be considered. "They will not be in Vancouver and they will not be in Victoria," said Trevor Swerdfager, DFO director-general of aquaculture management. "We expect the majority will be based on Vancouver Island.”This is an area, you can imagine, which has attracted considerable attention from local municipal leaders and others with suggestions of where it could be, and I'm not trying to be cutesy by saying we haven't figured that out yet," Swerdfager said. "First of all, finding office space for 50 people is not an easy proposition, so we're looking to where best that will line up. We're also looking to synergies (of locating) people in Nanaimo, if it makes the most logistical sense."
Mayor John Ruttan said Nanaimo is "obviously one of the most logical choices," and "certainly we hope Nanaimo will be selected." Swerdfager isn't saying how many jobs Nanaimo can expect. The public has until Sept. 8 to review the new regulations, which must be effect no later than Dec. 18.
