Fisheries Committee on May 27th, 2008

[David Schmidt]

I guess right from the beginning we assumed that it was our dock to maintain and upgrade and up to us to do the various things that need to be done. It wasn't in horrible shape when we took it over. There were lots of repairs to do. To date we've done over $800,000 in repairs. But the dock was still quite usable--and safe, I should add. In taking the attitude that it is ours to look after, we have gone out and sought additional funding to do expansion projects--to reinstall fuel, to add some more moorage space for boats. Basically, we're trying to run it on our own as if it is our own, and I sure hope it is. That's why it seems to be going so well, I believe.

The people we do talk to at Transport Canada are quite helpful and will answer whatever questions we do have.

That's about it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Thank you, Mr. Blais.

Just for a point of clarification, if you could, the Transport Canada wharf that's being used, is it fishermen or pleasure craft, or both, using that facility? Who are the users of the facility at the present time?

[David Schmidt]

Primarily it's fishermen who use it, but in the past three, four, or five years, tourism has become quite a bit more popular and they are looking for more space at the dock. We're trying to accommodate both sectors here through our expansions and by getting the fuel back at the dock.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Mr. Stoffer, you're on for five.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your presentations today.

I'll start with Mr. Cranmer.

I understand that DFO officials from small craft harbours directorate do sort of patrol the small craft harbours throughout British Columbia. They come and visit, and they see how things are going. When was the last time you had a visit from somebody from small craft harbours directorate?

[Chief William Cranmer]

We haven't had a visit from small craft harbours people for quite a while.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

When you say quite a while, is it a few months, a year, a couple of years?

[Chief William Cranmer]

It's probably been five or six years, from the time we had the study. Actually it was in 1993, when we had the design studies done. That's not to say they don't come and look at the harbour that the municipality manages.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

From that study, do you have an estimate of what it would cost to do the work you're asking for or that needs to be done?

[Chief William Cranmer]

We need a rock breakwater.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Do you have any idea what that would cost?

[Chief William Cranmer]

It would be very costly, probably $5 million to $6 million.

We're doing some of the priority work that we feel needs to be done. We're getting engineers to start redesign work at our own expense. We don't have a marine fuel station in Alert Bay now. That was taken out two years ago. At one time Alert Bay had three marine fuel stations, and now we don't have one.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Okay.

Mr. Cranmer, I think the easiest way to get the answer to your concern is to, later tonight, write a letter to the clerk of our committee asking who actually owns the wharf. I know that small craft harbours directorate has nothing to do with it; it's a Transport Canada role. But the question is whether, after a certain period of time, it is officially divested to you or your organization, and then you're questioning who has the legal ownership of that particular infrastructure.

It wouldn't take that much to find out. A letter to the transport minister would give us that answer. If you wish to write to us later on, asking us to figure that answer out, then we could at least figure out who owns it, and then we could move forward from there.

Mr. McPhee, today you took us to the Port Hardy wharf, and you showed us the new concrete wharves that were coming in. I was quite impressed by that. I'm wondering if it's possible for you to tell us how that all came about, and why that particular concrete wharf is on a foam platform. I was quite impressed by that.

Also, sir, you had mentioned that things are going quite well. It's good to hear, as we have in previous presentations yesterday and today, that overall the relationship with the front-line small craft harbours people is quite good.

You talked about surveillance cameras. I haven't heard about that before on other wharves we've been on. I'm wondering why Fort Hardy would want to request that, and what advantages there would be if indeed you were able to have those installed for your harbour. Would you answer that if possible, sir?

And thank you for the tour this morning.

[Pat McPhee]

You're welcome.

One of the questions that was asked was how we got along with the small craft harbours people, and whether we had a good working relationship with them. Then in the same question was what you could look at as improvements. One of them was closed-circuit TV or surveillance cameras down there.

Basically with the surveillance cameras, one thing is to try to offset any thefts that may go on down there. You advertise it to let them know that they are under a camera system, and it may curb the thievery that's going on.

We're not saying we have a huge amount of thievery at one given time, but when you add six or seven different incidents up, it becomes a significant amount of money. When you can grab a whole platter of halibut hooks--individually they're not that expensive, but when you consider the items themselves plus the time it takes for the fishermen to make this system up and what have you, it becomes a very costly thing.

The other thing would be the safety aspect. You're watching who is down there. You have a lot of undesirables down there, and we could end up having people falling in and drowning.

[The Chair, Conservative, Fabian Manning]

Thank you, Mr. Stoffer.

Mr. Calkins.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It certainly is wonderful to be here.

I appreciate the fact that some of you have travelled some way to get here and bring testimony to our committee. We take our work very seriously, and we certainly appreciate the input.

I'd like to start by asking Chief Cranmer a question. The testimony you gave was pretty quick, and I tried to make as many notes as I could. You gave us a great history, going back to 1958. Am I to understand that the harbour that was built in 1958 is gone now--it basically doesn't exist any more? Do I have that right?

[Chief William Cranmer]

The old harbour?

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Yes.

[Chief William Cranmer]

No, it's still in place. But as I said, the A-frame breakwater is falling apart and there's no protection for the floats on the boats.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

All right. And that was built on the coastline adjacent to the reserve lands. Do I have that right?

[Chief William Cranmer]

Yes. Alert Bay is shaped like that. It's built right in this part of Alert Bay. The other breakwater is right in the middle of Alert Bay, which is operated by the municipality of Alert Bay.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

We all know that a bay is generally a horseshoe shape. So half the bay is adjacent to the reserve land and the other half is adjacent to the Alert Bay municipality.

[Chief William Cranmer]

That's right.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

The 1969 wharf was built right on the dividing line. Is that right?

[Chief William Cranmer]

On the dividing line, and it angled off towards the reserve.