HMCS Ojibwa
By CHIP MARTIN The London Free Press

MP Joe Preston said he’s growing concerned a protracted squabble over the future of a Cold War-era submarine might torpedo an economic stimulus boost for Elgin County.
The Conservative backbencher for Elgin-Middlesex-London, who helped land a $1.9-million federal grant to bring the decomissioned HMCS Ojibwa to Elgin, said both Port Stanley and Port Burwell would make good homes for it but time is running out.
“I am not at this moment worried,” Preston said Wednesday. “But I’m starting to be concerned.”
The sub and an accompanying museum are touted to bring 45 jobs and about 100,000 tourists a year.
Preston said the economic stimulus money “is there for a short period of time” before it’ll be withdrawn.
He said the decision about the final site for the sub rests with the Elgin County Military Museum and he won’t intervene.
“I’m kind of good with either place,” he said of the rival ports. But he has reservations about the sites offered in Port Stanley by Central Elgin. Neither an in-water location or one on reclaimed land seems workable, he said.
“In Port Stanley, I would think the berm (east headland) is the best spot” he said. In so doing, he favours the same site as citizens and the museum, as indicated this week at a public meeting.
But Central Elgin refuses to consider the area, still owned by Transport Canada which has promised to turn it over to local control and clean the area to “parkland standards.”
“The berm is not an option,” Mayor Tom Marks reiterated Wednesday.
Talks between Central Elgin and the museum continued Wednesday.
“Staff are frantically calling consultants,” Marks said.
Council meets early Thursday in a bid to finalize its proposal.
Museum curator Ian Raven said the decision will be made Saturday. That’s needed to meet deadlines under the federal fund that would pay to move the Ojibwa from Halifax.
The museum has made it clear it doesn’t accept the two sites preferred in Port Stanley.
Meanwhile, Bayham has offered to lease a site on land it owns at Port Burwell in its aggressive pursuit of Project Ojibwa.
Raven agreed with Preston time is running out for Port Stanley to catch up to its rival port 35 km to the east.
“We’re trying to resolve this as quickly as possible,” he said. “Timing is a major concern for both sides.”
Meanwhile, criticism of Central Elgin’s handling of the project ic coming from two Port Stanley residents running for council election this fall.
Merchant and business leader John Robinsonm running for mayor, in an email, said leading citizens should have been consulted earlier and site issues resolved some time ago. “We would then not be staring at the problems that they had,” he wrote.
Dan McNeil, seeking election to represent the Port Stanley ward, remained upset at council for rejecting the berm site.
“The prospect of Project Ojibwa for Port Stanley does not look good,” he said. “It saddens many to realize that Central Elgin’s anti-business culture continues to be evident.”