Evidence of meeting #27 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was little.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Peter Llewellyn  Mayor of Georgetown
Bobby Jenkins  Chair, Annandale Harbour Authority
Gregory Norton  Chair, Annandale Harbour Authority
Norman Peters  Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority
Gérard Steele  Presenter, Naufrage Harbour Authority
Darrell Lesperance  Chairman, Naufrage Harbour Authority
Lewis Miller  Vice-President, Naufrage Harbour Authority

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

It's like everything else....

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

If I remember correctly, it was a donation. There wasn't actually a fee to go in.

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

No. There is a fee to go through the museum itself. It's only $3, but I made you a nice no-frills lobster fishing video. You sit down, and you watch actual lobster fishing, and I explain all the things to you. I'm telling you, that's where you should have gone.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

I thought I was telling you that's where I was.

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

Did you watch the video?

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

I went into the museum.

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

But you didn't watch the video.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

If it was there.... I don't know if it was or wasn't. I have little kids who were running around wanting me to buy everything in the store.

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

It generates a bit of revenue, but it's still not keeping us out of the hole.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

From your perspective then, I'd ask this question just out of my own curiosity. I'm trying to get a feel for how much revenue each of these harbours has. What do you guys have for income there as far as your berthage fees go and all those other kinds of fees that you may charge or collect versus your expenses? What are you left with at the end of the year?

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

The harbour itself brings in around $12,000 revenue, with little boats, the museum, that sort of thing, but that includes a couple of government grants when you hire a couple of students. The expenses are around $14,000. So we're not making any money.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

It sounds as though you're losing money.

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

We are losing money until we can get a good flow of people coming through.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

How many fishing boats are there at North Rustico?

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

We have 36.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

Is there room to expand there?

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

There could be room to expand if we had a plan, but we've never really talked about it. That little marina, for example, was supposed to hold 14 boats at $700 apiece when we first got the thing going. But there's no water in it. The water's very low in parts of it, and to dredge it.... It's black mud, and there's the problem. So we're running into lots of problems.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

And you don't really have access to the anchor stone here in Prince Edward Island as you would in Newfoundland or some place like that. These rocks have to be shipped in from somewhere else, right?

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

They have to come from New Brunswick.

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

They have to come all the way from New Brunswick.

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

Thank you. I appreciate it. I would just encourage you to keep up the good work and hopefully--

11 a.m.

Chairman, North Rustico Harbour Authority

Norman Peters

My heart's in the old fishery, boys. I've been in her, and it's kind of tempting to put her up for sale by times. I'm 66, you know. Do you want to buy it?

11 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

On that note, I'm going to hand it over to Mr. Kamp if he has any questions.

11 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Fabian Manning

He might be interested in buying.

Mr. Kamp.