Evidence of meeting #119 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vessels.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
There is a difference between the two, yes. This Oceans Protection Plan and the small craft harbours and abandoned and wrecked vessels removal program just came into effect in November 2016, and I know of only one vessel taken up under that program in Atlantic Canada.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Where would it have been? Would it have been in the ocean or in a similar marine centre, as you referenced?
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
This can be in a marine service centre or in the ocean.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
No, I mean the one you referred to that was taken out. My primary concern is about abandoned vessels that may still be in the ocean as a hazard to shipping or to fishing vessels, as well as a possible danger to fish stocks.
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
We have taken up several of those vessels through our supply arrangement with the Government of Canada.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
You have been removing vessels that were a danger to shipping as well as fish stocks.
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
Yes. Small craft harbours and Fisheries and Oceans and Transport Canada have a list, I think, of a couple of thousand boats across Canada that they monitor and that will eventually need to come out, but there are a lot more of them out there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Morrissey.
We have to move now to Madame Desbiens for five minutes or less, please.
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Roberts, thank you for being here.
Your testimony is very informative and very interesting, especially since you're in the eastern part of the country.
I'm looking at the numbers. We’re talking about 1,046 boats to recover in British Columbia and 180 over in Quebec.
Does that last number include the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland, or do you also have boats that need to be recovered?
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
I need the interpretation opened. I don't speak French, so I have to find the interpretation.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
There should be something there that says “interpretation”. You click on that and you—
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
Okay, I just found it. It's English. We may have it now.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Madame Desbiens will be up again so that the witness can understand what she is asking.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Roberts, for being with us.
I was saying there are 1,046 boats to recover in British Columbia; in any case, that is the estimated number. Over in Quebec, we’re talking about 180 boats, give or take. Does that number include the Newfoundland area? If not, is there a ballpark figure to add to the 180 boats that need to be recovered in the St. Lawrence?
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
Yes, there would. The area we live in is Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. There are a lot of vessels outside of the Quebec area and the St. Lawrence River area. There are many more hundreds of boats.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
On your end, we don’t have the exact number of boats to recover.
There are about 1,046 boats on the west coast and 180 in the St. Lawrence. Do you have an idea of the number of boats to be recovered in the maritime provinces?
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
Obviously, there is no documentation done on behalf of Transport Canada or Fisheries and Oceans in the Atlantic provinces.
I have personally documented, in Newfoundland, 700 boats around my area. I would well imagine, throughout the Atlantic provinces, with fishing industry towns all around, that we have a lot of boats that are not documented.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Thank you for your answer.
Do you think the government is in fact doing enough to support the effort of recovering these boats from coast to coast in Canada?
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
I think the intentions are there, but getting the intentions out into the real world....
As I explained regarding the marine service centre projects, there are maybe 1,000 boats just around that service centre alone. There are all of those centres around Canada. There is no incentive for anybody to help get those boats removed. I think the funding is there and everything else may be in place, but getting the work done is falling short of what's needed.
This is why I'm asking you to clear up some of the paperwork we need changed, so we can change some of these things and make some things happen—get some of these boats up and out of the system.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
What are the main rules you want to see changed in your favour? Are the incentives more environmental?
Manager, Terra Services Inc.
The biggest I've seen over the past couple of years are the regulations in the small craft harbours abandoned and wrecked vessels removal program. In the application guide, they list “eligible recipients”, including “a province or agency”, “a non-profit organization”, a harbour authority and “an Aboriginal group”. That is what needs to be changed. “Aboriginal group” needs to be changed to “indigenous group/company as registered in the Indigenous Business Directory of Canada”.
Once you are in that business directory—which we are—you will be eligible to participate in any vessel removal anywhere in Canada. That alone would open up a way for other indigenous companies to move in and get some of those boats out of the water.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Roberts.
Thank you, Madame Desbiens.
We'll now go to Ms. Barron for five minutes or less.
I will let the committee know that for the person who couldn't get on before we'll do a sound test when we stop for the changeover of the panels.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Yes, because there's not much time to get him in on this one.
We'll go to Ms. Barron now for five minutes or less, please.
NDP
Lisa Marie Barron NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Roberts, for being here.
It's unfortunate to hear that John Roe, from the Dead Boats Disposal Society, had some technical difficulties. I do look forward to hearing from him and the other witnesses in the next panel.
Mr. Roberts, I want to take this opportunity to be able to ask some questions specific to what's happening on the east coast. It sounds like you're doing a lot of important work to clean up vessels on the east coast. It sounds like you're facing some barriers along the way, and I want to better understand that.
One thing I've been told, and I would like to get your thoughts on it, is that on the east coast we're predominantly seeing fishing vessels being abandoned. I'm wondering if you can clarify if that's also what you're seeing. On the west coast, we're seeing predominantly recreational vessels. Can you clarify that fishing vessels are what you're predominantly seeing abandoned on the east coast?