Posted By Patrick Brennan, TIMES-JOURNAL STAFF

Central Elgin Mayor Sylvia Hofhuis is optimistic a planned meeting between officials of her municipality and Transport Canada will result in maintenance work, especially dredging, being done at Port Stanley Harbour.

Hofhuis is crediting the lobby work of Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston for arranging the meeting, for which a date has not yet been set. Preston was recently named the Conservative party's regional caucus chairman for southwestern Ontario.

"We're very excited about Joe making this happen," Hofhuis told the Times-Journal this week.

She made it clear the meeting is not about ongoing confidential negotiations between Central Elgin and Transport Canada over any divestiture of the harbour.

There are two issues, Hofhuis explains. Because the federal government has done practically no maintenance on the harbour, which it still owns, there is extensive silting and freighters are unable to come into the harbour.

Last year for instance, there was no top hat ceremony to honour the first vessel to come into Port Stanley Harbour to kick off the shipping season. Tradition has been the captain of the vessel is presented with a top hat by the mayor.
 
This meeting won't have anything to do with the ongoing divestiture meetings, Hofhuis said.

"Whatever day this meeting happens, Central Elgin will be there," she stressed.

And when the meeting does happen, Transport Canada has said it will send its representatives to Port Stanley.

The silting of the harbour is a growing concern for Central Elgin, Hofhuis noted.

"Last fall, local fishermen said they couldn't turn around in the mouth of the harbour," Hofhuis said.

It's been eight years since the harbour was dredged, Hofhuis explained. Dredging it from now on won't be a simple matter, either, she added.

Any soils removed will have to be tested for contamination from a blob of coal tar sludge up stream from the harbour in Kettle Creek, which the province dredges.