Londoners looking for a concrete decision on the fate of the Springbank Dam will have to keep on waiting.
An eight-hour civic works committee meeting Tuesday that included a heavy public participation component ended with an endorsement for a "One River" joint environmental assessment.
The committee voted 4-2 in favour of the environmental assessment of the area spanning from the Springbank Dam to the Forks of the Thames and Harris Park. Only Michael Van Holst and Anna Hopkins were opposed.
Prior to voting, Councillor Josh Morgan had the motion amended to note that the environmental assessment does not eliminate decommissioning of the dam.
More than 100 Londoners attended the public meeting, filling both the council chambers and overflow room.
Shawn Lewis read a letter on behalf of his boss, London-Fanshawe NDP MP Irene Mathyssen. In it, Mathyssen says it would be unprecedented for either the federal or provincial governments to ask the city to repay $2.8-million in repair grants doled out for the dam in 2005.
The letter went on to say that the city could actually apply for funding to help decommission the dam through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Leslee White-Eye, chief of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, once again called for the dam to be decommissioned.
"We've now got to take responsibility for the way we've mistreated the river over a long period of time to the point where we can't swim in it. It means we've got to make some drastic changes right away."
Also joining the scores of voices in favour of decommissioning the dam was Robert Huber, president of the Thames River Anglers Association.
"One of the hardest things to argue is the evidence of all of the species that have recovered in the area, between the birds, the turtles, the mussels, and the fish that are in the river," says Huber. "We can argue until we are blue in the face but at the end of the day if those species are there and you're going to do a project that is going to threaten them it is going to jeopardize whether or not you can even get that project approved."
Vicki VanLinden became very emotional during her remarks, breaking down into tears.
"We can't afford this dam or Back to the River. We aren't dealing with real problems in London like helping the poor and mentally ill," VanLinden told the committee.
A petition signed by 2,500 people against repairing the dam was also submitted.
While most speakers at the meeting spoke in favour of decommissioning, a handful of recreational groups weighed in on the benefits of repairing the structure.
Stephen Ross, president of the London Rowing Club, said without the high levels the dam provides recreational uses of the river have suffered for 10 years. He asked whether Londoners want a "large ditch or a vibrant river?"
Robin Whimster, former treasurer of the London Canoe Club, said canoeing on the river was an amazing experience but doesn't mean the best interest of the river is not at heart.
"We all wish for a healthy river, just because we want to paddle on it doesn't mean we are different."
In the end the public was able to get Mayor Matt Brown to shift his opinion to have the dam repaired immediately. He instead urged his colleagues to allow for an extended new environmental assessment of the river.
"When we hear so many different opinions it's important that we all move to the middle, it's important that we all hit the pause button and have a conversation," says Brown. "This environmental assessment will allow us to do that and then we can consider the evidence. We can make our decision based on evidence and ultimately make the right decision for London."
Brown had made fixing the dam one of the planks of his platform during his campaign for Mayor.
Springbank Dam has been out of operation since 2006 when work on a multi-million dollar upgrade began. During testing of the upgrade in 2008, the dam malfunctioned when bolts attaching one of the four new gates and its hinge snapped.
The malfunction that left the dam inoperable prompted the city to launch a $5-million lawsuit against the contractors in April 2009. The lawsuit was settled in the fall of 2015 with the city receiving $3.775-million while no party admitted to being liable.
The joint environmental assessment will now go to council for approval. At that meeting city staff have been asked to provide a presentation that will articulate a timeline for a final decision on the fate of the dam.
