Fisheries committee  First off, let me say that I am separate from the small craft harbours program. I think my colleague who runs that program would be a little averse to my speaking of it, but I can say that the department has a block of money, as you've said, which goes into investments. I'm not c

Fisheries committee  I guess I'll respond to the back end of the question first. I think the committee heard from the stakeholders in the last couple of meetings that they did not feel that all lighthouses across the country were going to be designated under the legislation. I think that's fundamen

Fisheries committee  The reduction would be between $24 and $65 million.

Fisheries committee  Because it's impossible for us to establish exact figures without knowing the criteria and number of lighthouses, as well as which lighthouses will be designated. Some lighthouses in Nova Scotia have no structures. So the cost is less than in the case of structures in British Col

Fisheries committee  If I've understood correctly, the amendment moved by Mr. Keddy today includes the figures that we have provided to you. Without the amendment, the cost could increase by at least $24 million.

Fisheries committee  We don't have this information.

Fisheries committee  In the United States, any lighthouse older than 50 years is designated as a heritage site. This is the most important criteria.

Fisheries committee  I do not know. This only has to do with designation. I have no information on the amount that the United States spends on maintaining its lighthouses.

Fisheries committee  Actually, over the course of the last number of years there has been a bit of a hodgepodge. Almost four years ago the department created the organization I lead to try to establish an integrated national approach. What we're doing now is divesting the property and all its asset

Fisheries committee  My team has an annual budget of around a million dollars for port divestiture.

Fisheries committee  Yes, per year.

Fisheries committee  I think if we're talking about what the bill prescribes versus what we actually do, it's not exactly the same. The reality is that we have a divestiture program in DFO. We do not, and have not, demolished any lighthouses in quite some time, with the exception of lighthouses tha

Fisheries committee  Actually, we have something here, and 50 sounds about right for the Pacific. There are 27 staffed. Then there is probably about an equal number on the other end of the scale. The challenge we have is that there is no definition of a lighthouse in law. In Canadian law it doesn't e

Fisheries committee  The majority of our lighthouses are affected to some degree, but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has a program to assess the environmental status of all of our properties.