The CEO of Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation has broken his silence over a a marina project that has been at the centre of some debate.

John Lynn gave his first public interview about the Ben Eoin marina since criticism of the project and its plans to purchase the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club started to surface early this year.

ECBC invested $4 million in the project, 83 per cent of the total cost, located about 20 kilometres from Sydney.

That lead to an outcry from the community as people demanded to know why the historic Cape Breton Yacht Club would be destroyed.

Lynn said he looks at the investment in the context of a larger, year-round recreational complex — one that includes the ski hill, golf course, and residential development.

In an interview with CBC Cape Breton's Information Morning program, Lynn was asked about the level of support and the impression that a small group of affluent, well-connected people are behind the development. Lynn instead turned the focus on the project's critics.

"You know, there are always going to be a small group of people that, instead of looking at life as a glass half-full, they look at life as a glass half empty,” he said.

“Instead of looking at the opportunities in front of us and pursuing them vigorously, they want to reflect upon the past and to try and paint a picture that people are improperly motivated. And I just don't buy it, and I don't think it's appropriate.”

Lynn also rejected the suggestion that his status as a boater with property on the Bras d'Or Lake represents a conflict of interest.

He said the marina is part of a larger four-season development at Ben Eoin. He said he thinks most Cape Bretoners would agree it's a good project.

As to the future of the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club, Lynn said it is slated for demolition as part of ongoing waterfront development, unless someone comes forward with a valid alternative.

Something Lynn said he's open to.