Kelowna

A deal reached between the City of Kelowna and Andy Schwab late Wednesday afternoon paved the way for Thursday's re-location of the iconic Fintry Queen.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

The Fintry Queen rests at its new, temporary home in Sutherland Bay

A recent court order gave Schwab ownership of the Fintry Queen with certain conditions attached including satisfying several creditors and re-locating the vessel. 

City Property Manager, Ron Forbes, says before the Fintry Queen could be moved, the city and Schwab also had to come to an agreement.

"It was one of those things where we had come very close to having an agreement signed and then something else would come up. The agreement got signed at 10 minutes to 4 (p.m.) yesterday (Wednesday)," says Forbes.

"There were conditions within the court order that he had to meet. One of them was a requirement from the city to remove the Fintry Queen from its current location because of our future development of the downtown marina."

Along with satisfying creditors, Forbes says Schwab also had to look after docking, insurance and security for the vessel while it sits in Sutherland Bay next to the Tolko mill.

The agreement between the city and Schwab is for one year.

During that time, Forbes says the city will work with Schwab or prospective new owners to find a permanent location for the vessel.

 "At this point in time we are looking at options, that's the best I can say," says Forbes who wouldn't specifically name locations since the city is still in negotiations."

Forbes adds the process of finding a new home is more complicated than just building a dock.

"There are a number of authorities that have jurisdiction. You need the location first then you need approval from the provincial government to put it there," says Forbes.

"Part of their approval is referrals to other authorities having jurisdiction, whether that's Transport Canada, Ministry of Environment, Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Those sorts of things take time."

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Editors note: Are you happy the 'Queen' has been moved? Do you want it to ply the waters again on Okanagan Lake? Will it be an eye-sore as it sits in Sutherland Bay on a stay of execution? Send us your thoughts and ides to news@castanet.net