Fisheries Committee on Nov. 22nd, 2018

[Denise Frenette]

Yes.

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

Does the program now provide up-to-date data on harbour performance and harbour facility conditions?

[Denise Frenette]

Yes, it does. We have information on the facilities.

I want to be clear about this. In 2013, we did a full assessment of the costs that we need to maintain our assets in a state of good repair and deal with rust-out issues, but we do maintain data on our facilities.

[The Chair]

Thank you, Mr. Doherty.

Now we go to Mr. Donnelly, for four minutes or less, please.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Lapointe and Ms. Frenette, thank you for answering the committee's questions. I'm wondering if there's anything that you feel you'd like to address, or that came up earlier that you need some more time to talk about before I ask a question. This is an opportunity to provide the committee with more information on anything that you felt wasn't addressed or hasn't been addressed by any particular question.

[Denise Frenette]

I will, if I have the opportunity, speak to the issue of harbour capacity. Sylvie mentioned that once a year we meet with harbour authorities at a national level. We have a national authority advisory committee and we also have regional committees of the same. Those are in a direct dialogue with a subset of HAs.

On top of that, the department, on an annual basis, puts out $600,000 to support HAs to do capacity development. Through that money there are initiatives like conferences that are put together where there's an opportunity to provide education, training workshops on different topics, and help them deal with their issues on the ground. They will also sometimes use the money, for example, in setting up communication tools and websites. There's regular funding that goes directly to the harbour authorities to help them build their capacity.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Ms. Lapointe.

[Sylvie Lapointe]

I'm good. Thanks.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

You're good.

That's interesting. My one question was going to be on training and capacity-building, and you spoke to it. I was going to ask if there's enough funding. What are the biggest challenges faced by HAs, or harbour authorities, to carry out the work that they need to do in these what I'll say are challenging settings or situations?

[Denise Frenette]

I think at the current time HAs are interested in having clearer definitions of roles and responsibilities, and better tools. We are focusing, as I mentioned, on doing a lease review to make sure that we have an instrument when we enter into the lease agreement that better and clearly communicates the roles and responsibilities and provides them tools to work with. I think that's a key component. We're really focused, as well, on continuing to have that dialogue on what other tools we could provide them with.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I have one last question.

We spoke earlier about different potential community-based models. I asked about co-op models, for instance, or community co-ops, or working with first nations. If anyone was interested in providing information, what's the best mechanism for them to contribute their ideas to the government, to DFO?

[Denise Frenette]

I think it's through the network of harbour authorities and specifically the national harbour authority representative for that national committee. I think that would be the best—

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

—the best window in.

[Denise Frenette]

—window in, to make sure that the discussion happens at the national level.

[The Chair]

Thank you, Mr. Donnelly.

With the permission of the committee, I would like to ask a question for clarification purposes, for the analyst to get the right information.

You mentioned in the testimony that small craft harbours have some in-house expertise for designing work, but there are times that you have to go out to PSPC to get that work done. In the costing of that, is your cost for putting it out to the other department simply, for example, if it's engineering, or whatever, the cost for them to do the engineering design on it or is small craft harbours paying a premium, almost the same as if they were going to an outside engineering firm to do the work, which would normally work on a percentage basis?

To me, it's two government departments. It should almost be like the exchange of Monopoly money instead of actually exchanging money that's allocated to the repair of one piece of federal infrastructure to another federal department doing the design work. I don't understand why it would be an increase or a portion of the actual cost to the project or the estimated cost simply because it went to another government department to help with the design engineering of it.

[Denise Frenette]

Unfortunately, there is a fee when you use PSPC services.

In terms of clarification, I know that Mr. Morrissey mentioned that the cost at the engineering stage is high, but I wouldn't attribute it all to PSPC. A lot of studies need to be undertaken to assess wave agitation and environmental impact. There's a lot of work behind planning that increases the costs. Just to be on the record, it's not just the PSPC.

[The Chair]

Thank you to everyone.

Thank you to our witnesses for appearing today.

We're going to suspend for a moment while we clear the room and get ready to do some in camera committee business.

[Proceedings continue in camera]