Fisheries Committee on Oct. 30th, 2018

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Carrie.

[Carrie Brown]

In the fall of 2016, in particular, when the oceans protection plan was first announced, government was very interested, and we have seen an increase in engagement and understanding. We've all come up to a consistent level of understanding of where we are with respect to—

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Your data on number of strikes, is it predominantly passenger ferry traffic or is it predominantly shipping traffic?

[Carrie Brown]

Sorry. What was the first part of the question?

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Is your data in correlation to shipping traffic versus passenger traffic in strikes?

[Carrie Brown]

Right. We're really focusing on underwater noise and its effects on southern resident killer whales and less so on the strike activity. I think there's a lot more strike risk potential on the east coast with the right whales.

Our data is available on our port authority website, and we have done an assessment to understand what the sound signatures are of different vessel types.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Go ahead, Bob.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Thanks.

As full disclosure, I had the pleasure of going on a whale-watching tour with Mr. Daudrich this summer. It's an extraordinary experience.

Mr. Daudrich, I'm going to ask some really quick questions given that time is limited.

In your years of operating the whale-watching business, have you seen any change in the population of beluga whales that you could determine?

[Walter Daudrich]

No, the population is stable over the long term, yes, sir.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Yes, I have the documents that you refer to, and the science backs that up.

For many years there were large vessels going into the harbour and estuary at Churchill, shipping grain, goods and so on. Was there any effect on the whale populations from those large vessels?

[Walter Daudrich]

I would go further to say that during operations, dredging operations and shipping seasons that were very busy, there was no noticeable change in beluga whale patterns.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I've seen the new marine mammal regulations related to Churchill. If fully implemented word for word, what effect will they have on the $10-million whale-watching industry in Churchill? I realized when I was up there that it is one of the main lifelines for the entire community. What effect would that have on the whale-watching industry?

[Walter Daudrich]

As I mentioned in my initial statement, we employ approximately 200 people. We are the biggest employer in Churchill. My company is the biggest employer in Churchill, but the industry itself is floating the town right now. We are—

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

What effect will the regulations have if fully—

[Walter Daudrich]

It would, over a period of a few years, kill the industry.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

So the main economic lifeline for Churchill would be extinguished if these regulations are fully implemented, and I appreciate—

[Walter Daudrich]

That's correct.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

—that witness saying that one size does not fit all, because Churchill is a completely unique situation.

How have your interactions been with DFO regarding this?

[Walter Daudrich]

In the last page of my submission, I mentioned we've written about seven or eight letters, starting initially with Mr. LeBlanc, the first minister, and then later on with the parliamentary secretary, as well as now the new minister for DFO.

From the first minister, we had no response. From the parliamentary secretary, we had no response. Finally, now, within the last couple of months, we did receive one response from the new minister, Jonathan Wilkinson.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I recall when I was there, a DFO official called up immediately because we generated a lot of press over this. A DFO official called you and said that she was going to come up to meet with you, and we both thought that that was a good idea.

Did that meeting ever take place?

[Walter Daudrich]

No, and subsequent to that, I attempted to contact that person, and there has been no effort to contact me with regard to that.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

I think it's important for the committee to know how DFO behaves in situations like this. I find it utterly appalling that a staff person, a highly paid staff person in Winnipeg, promises to come up to visit this community, whose whole lifeline is based on the whale-watching industry, and she refuses, she then does not come up, and DFO Freshwater Institute has not contacted these people at all. I find it appalling and I want to make sure that is in the record.

When you asked them—when you finally got hold of them in some way, shape or form—how they intended to implement these regulations, what was their response to you in terms of how they see these things being rolled out?

[Walter Daudrich]

Much of the response that I received actually was through the media, one from Adam Burns, who said that they would be enforcing the regulations, and there were other responses, namely one from one of our senators in Manitoba, who said, “Why don't you just tell the enforcement officers that you're going to the other side of the river?” That was the answer that was given to me.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

So DFO gave you no guidance whatsoever in terms of how these regulations could be implemented in Churchill?

[Walter Daudrich]

Again, subsequent to the media finding that I had, I did contact Mr. Adam Burns. He said to let the courts settle it out.