Sidney staff recommend keeping iconic Beacon Wharf

Sidney’s iconic Beacon Wharf as seen on Nov. 8, 2021. (CTV News)

Victoria -

Municipal staff in Sidney, B.C., are recommending that the seaside community’s iconic Beacon Wharf remain as is, for now.

The wharf has stood at the bottom Beacon Avenue for more than a century. A recent engineering report found that the current pier will require a major investment to extend its life past 2028.

The report from staff to town council is a summary of the results from Sidney residents to the recent Beacon Wharf survey. The survey proposed the option of demolishing the wharf and replacing it with a floating wharf or not replacing the aging structure.

Sidney’s mayor told CTV News on Oct. 22 that council had no deadline for a decision on the future of the wharf.

“We haven’t set a specific time," said Cliff McNeil-Smith last month. "We need to plan ahead because the current structure would have to be removed, we might have to get approvals with regards to building on the water and so it could take some time to put the future in place.”

The report was presented to council Monday night, and though the option of keeping the wharf and maintaining it was not an option presented in the survey, it was a write-in choice that many respondents supported.

A group of Sidney residents started a petition to save the wharf. The petition garnered more than 1,000 signatures from people wanting keep the wharf as a piece of Sidney’s history as a seafaring community.

“This issue resonates so deeply with people because the Sidney Wharf and the fish market represent the culture of Sidney and the roots of its character,” said petition organizer Nicole Bengtsson. “I believe that going forward, if the fish market is lost, then a piece of Sidney’s traditions, a piece of its character, will be lost forever.”

The staff report not only recommends leaving the wharf as is, it recommends council “leave the door open” for further discussion on the future of iconic pier before the end of the wharfs forecasted lifespan. It suggests the discussions could include ways for Sidney to keep a sense of “community heritage” along its waterfront.

Bengtsson says even though council could press pause on the Beacon Wharf project, there is no certainty that the pier will remain a fixture at the foot of Sidney’s main thoroughfare.

“I think we will feel satisfied and vindicated when there is a concrete plan in place for how to maintain the wharf and improve the safety requirements that are necessary,” said Bengtsson. “Moving forward, we want to see a vision for the wharf, the fish market that allow for the maintenance of the structures and to maintain the character of Sidney.”