centralcoastbc.com Home Central Coast Membership Search Contact Info communities Bella Bella Bella Coola Dawsons Land. Denny Island Duncanby Land. Firvale Hagensborg Klemtu Namu Ocean Falls Oweekeno Tallheo Stuie		Ocean Falls : Commercial Activity Overview Ocean Falls is plentifully supplied with water and the electric power that comes from it, has close access to forest resources, and has a very scenic surrounding landscape; so the opportunities for economic development should be fairly clear. Among the possibilities are: export of bottled water from Link Lake promotion of electrolysis to generate industrial gasses establishment of hydroponic farming establishment of land based fish farming development of a red alder furniture manufacture establishment of a silviculture nursery a large variety of tourism related possibilities The commencement of the BC Ferries Discovery Coast service in 1996 gave rise to quite a bit of optimism around providing tourist services, and a number of things were started. Unfortunately, uncertainty about the future of the service and a rather unfavourable schedule of stops in Ocean Falls for 1998 has dampened some of the enthusiasm. The area should be ideal for a variety of tourism activities. The successful salt water fishing lodges are already expanding into the fresh water possibilities of Link Lake and the Twin Lakes. Kayak excursions "around the circle" to Roscoe Inlet and back by road, to the hot springs, and to the open Pacific; camping on Link Lake, on the Twin Lakes, at Canoe Pass, and at Shack Bay; mountaineering and rock climbing; scuba diving both at Rage Reef (about an hour away by fast boat) and in Link Lake; whale watching; and guided hunting; have all been considered. At present CCPC has excess generation capacity of approximately 10 megawatts, and there is approximately 55,000 square feet of unused light industrial space in the CCPC Mill Shop. CCPC is willing to consider joint ventures. This would appear to be an ideal recipe for some kind of light industrial development. One of the problems with development in Ocean Falls is that parts of the Industrial Site which occupies the south bank of the Link River Mouth are contaminated with asbestos and other industrial residues. The entire site is also an unsightly mess. There has been an ongoing struggle to determine whose responsibility the clean up should be. The fact that the mill was last owned and operated by the Ocean Falls Corporation which was in turn owned by the BC Government lends some weight to one side of the argument. A large portion of the north bank of the river mouth was sold, including the Martin Inn which is still the largest hotel north of Vancouver, nine management houses in a quadrangle, and the Garden Apartments. The hotel is now not salvageable because of water and ice damage caused by the leaky roof. The management houses have received minimal maintenance to the end that all but one could still be salvaged. The Garden Apartments are, like the hotel, beyond repair. The presence of such a large proportion of derelict real estate at the centre of the town has a number of negative effects. Another large building of approximately 30,000 square feet in two storeys, is the CO-OP building. This is currently owned by BC Lands and at various times over the past few years it has seemed tantalizingly close to being sold or leased to someone who would refurbish it. The sale/lease appears to have been frustrated by changes in responsibility within the Ministries concerned. In the meantime, the foundation (which is partially over tide water) is eroding to the end that the centre of the building is losing support and the roof has begun leaking badly. It is a matter of less than a few years before the CO-OP too is beyond repair. The ballpark, beside Link Lake above the dam, was once a ballpark. It was used as a dryland sort by various logging companies in the 1980s so that it is now extremely unattractive. Adjoining the ballpark is a pile of logging debris many yards deep which is also an eyesore. The responsibilities for cleanup were conveniently lost when the logging companies involved went out of business. The ballpark is nevertheless the only road access to Link Lake. The tourist potential of the lake is large, but cleanup of the ballpark is a necessary first step. Floating behind the dam is an estimated 100,000 cubic metres of wood, some from the original drowned forest and more set loose in various logging operations. This floating wood is a major safety concern for Central Coast Power Corporation as it constantly threatens to clog the penstock gates. Logs which escape the booms and come over the falls are a threat to the structural integrity of the dam and to the causeway spanning the river at its mouth. The floating wood also interferes with use of the lake by recreational boaters and charter boat fish camps. Proposals are underway to address this concern. The Link River once had a salmon run which was stopped by the construction of the dam. A fish ladder could be constructed which would permit reintroduction of salmon to the river. back