Fisheries Committee on Nov. 22nd, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 43 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

This meeting is taking place in a hybrid format pursuant to the House order of June 23, 2022.

We will begin in public to hear testimony from witnesses. Following that, we will go in camera to discuss committee business.

Before we proceed, I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of witnesses and members.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mike, and please mute yourself when you are not speaking. For interpretation for those on Zoom, you have the choice at the bottom of the screen of either floor, English or French audio. Those in the room can use the earpiece and select the desired channel.

Please address all comments through the chair.

Finally, I remind you that screenshots or taking photos of your screen is not permitted.

The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website.

In accordance with the committee's routine motion concerning connection tests for witnesses, I am informing the committee that all witnesses have completed the required connection test in advance of the meeting.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on October 4, 2022, the committee is resuming its study on the impacts of climate change.

I would like to welcome our panel of witnesses: representing CBCL Limited, we have Vincent Leys, senior coastal engineer; representing the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, we have Kathryn Bakos, director, climate finance and science, and Joanna Eyquem, managing director, climate-resilient infrastructure; representing Oceans North, we have Susanna Fuller, vice-president, operations and projects; and representing the Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association, we have Mr. Michael Barron, president.

Thank you for taking the time to appear today. You will each have up to five minutes for an opening statement.

I'll begin with Mr. Leys, please, for five minutes or less.

[Vincent Leys, Senior Coastal Engineer, CBCL Limited]

Good afternoon.

My name is Vincent Leys. I work as a senior coastal engineer with the Halifax-based consulting firm CBCL. I've spent more than 20 years studying coastal processes and designing coastal infrastructure. My main geographical area of practice is the east coast of Canada, with a focus on such federal infrastructure as ports, ferry terminals and national parks, and a special emphasis on small craft harbours managed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, of which there are several hundred.

Small craft harbours are the backbone of many coastal communities around the region. These harbours sit on the front lines of storm and climate change impacts. Many of them were hit particularly hard by hurricane Fiona. Since the end of September, I've been busy working on the implications of hurricane Fiona from the standpoint of coastal processes, storm impacts, infrastructure maintenance and repair, and engineering design.

The force of the storm was well documented as possibly the strongest tropical storm to hit Canada, as gauged by the historic low pressure. The intensity of the storm in terms of storm surge level and wave action is unprecedented for the hardest-hit areas, which explains the historic level of damage. That is notably the case along the entire north shore of Prince Edward Island, as well as areas of Cape Breton, the north shore of Nova Scotia, southwest Newfoundland and the Magdalen Islands.

Tide gauges along the north shore of Prince Edward Island measured the storm surge peak at two metres—two metres—above the normal astronomical high tide for the day. The entire north shore of P.E.I. and its infrastructure was under water. That included wharves, beaches, cottages and coastal roads. The deck of the fishing wharf at Red Head, P.E.I., had been at least two and a half feet under water before the storm knocked the tide gauge instrument out of service. The entire wharf was destroyed. This is one example of many.

The extreme storm surge allowed waves to hit communities inland where they would otherwise be protected inside coastal bays. Along sections of southwest Newfoundland, some communities were in the direct axis of huge Atlantic waves, causing unprecedented impacts to people and property.

For engineering purposes, the unprecedented storm surge has required us to revisit design parameters that were based on historical observations. For areas along the north shore of Prince Edward Island, we had to significantly increase the recommended design elevations for coastal infrastructure to account for the storm now being part of the dataset. This is in addition to the projected increase in mean sea level from climate change, which will worsen the impacts of such storms on coastal communities.

Now, quantifying the impacts of climate change on the actual frequency and intensity of hurricanes themselves is an area of active scientific research. Climate change projections indicate an increase in air and water temperature, including later in the season. These conditions will increasingly favour the development of large Atlantic hurricanes as well as their sustained intensity over Atlantic Canada. In addition, sea level rise will allow storm surges and waves to impact infrastructure further inland. Therefore, while the quantification of rising storm frequency and intensity remains challenging, climate resiliency is increasingly important for coastal infrastructure.

In recent years, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been conducting structural condition assessments on its small craft harbour infrastructure for the purposes of asset management. These assessments are meant to produce rankings of infrastructure condition, from poor to good condition, that greatly help to prioritize immediate and long-term spending.

DFO personnel assessing storm damage have communicated to me that the hardest-hit harbours were those that scored lowest on the asset condition studies. In other words, older and deteriorated infrastructure suffered the most damage, which is not a surprising result. Therefore, hurricane Fiona reinforces the necessity for asset condition assessment and continuous monitoring, followed by timely maintenance and replacement of infrastructure at the end of its life cycle. These elements are a critical part of keeping climate-resilient infrastructure for the benefit of the local communities.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you for that.

We'll now go to the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation.

I don't know if you're giving one statement or if you're sharing it, but you have five minutes between you when you're ready.

[Joanna Eyquem, Managing Director, Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation]

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

As a geoscientist watching hurricane Fiona, I couldn’t escape a feeling of inevitability, seeing the impacts on the coastal areas of Atlantic Canada. Changing flood and erosion impacts on Canada's east coast were recently documented in the publication “Rising Seas and Shifting Sands”, supported by the Standards Council of Canada and the National Research Council, bringing together 60 subject-matter experts across the country.

The risks outlined include, as Vincent mentioned, coastal storm surge, often with high wind and heavy rainfall, as well as changing sea ice conditions, relative sea-level rise and coastal erosion.

The urgent challenge is to adapt to these more extreme and changing conditions.

I was encouraged by Friday's testimony from ministers, particularly the strong message from several parties that climate change is real. There was also discussion of moving people and infrastructure out of harm's way, which echoed comments made in October by Minister Guilbeault of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

There are four key approaches to coastal adaptation. Our focus has historically been protection, for which we can use both natural and grey infrastructure solutions. We can also use avoidance by preventing development in areas of high risk. We can also look at retreat, pulling back infrastructure from areas, including homes, as referenced by Minister Bragg last Friday. We can also accommodate the risks; that is, live better with them. For example, even if areas are flooded, they may not be significantly damaged.

Selecting an approach requires us to understand the natural system so that we can work with, rather than against, natural processes where possible. In some cases, existing infrastructure, such as wharves or sea walls, is actually exacerbating climate change impacts, for example by stopping sediment moving along the coast or moving inland as sea levels rise. Other infrastructure, including housing, is in areas of high risk, where it does not necessarily make socio-economic sense to rebuild or defend.

In short, we need investment in coastal management that weighs long-term costs and benefits, as we discussed with Infrastructure Canada while developing input to the national adaptation strategy. There is specific opportunity to combine natural and grey infrastructure solutions to reduce risk while delivering multiple benefits and improving people's lives in our coastal communities.

Recovery is not just about building back quickly or building back higher or bigger. We need to build back better to maximize the return on our investment in social, natural and economic terms.

[Kathryn Bakos, Director, Climate Finance and Science, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation]

Building on what Joanna said, what are the financial consequences of the status quo?

The Intact Centre has identified ways to mitigate the physical risks of climate change across specific industry sectors, and the financial impacts those risks pose. As an example, the Intact Centre conducted the study entitled “Treading Water: Impact of Catastrophic Flooding on Canada's Housing Market” to determine if community-level flooding affects Canadian residential real estate and mortgage markets.

A key finding of the report showed that flooding caused a direct impact of, on average, an 8.2% reduction on the sold price of homes, solidifying the material financial impact to the Canadian housing market, a market that is already under-insured due to flooding. Currently 10% of homes are uninsurable in Canada relative to basement flooding.

There need to be strong recommendations to help homeowners help themselves, which then help local communities and national economies at large. To do this, flood risk needs to be transparent, and information needs to be made available to enable people to make their own decisions to protect themselves from all levels of flooding.

On top of the recommendations Joanna has offered, we recommend the following actions.

One, municipalities should distribute the “Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Flood Protection” infographic to homeowners as a means to lower the risk of basement flooding. I've printed a few of these infographics. If you would like them, I'd be happy to share. This guidance was first launched in the town of Antigonish, and in Antigonish County, in Nova Scotia, about three years ago. Since then, towns across Canada have been including this infographic in property tax assessment mail-outs.

Two, the federal government should link the climate adaptation home rating program to the EnerGuide home energy audits program.

Three, the federal government should update the flood risk maps and ensure they're publicly accessible.

Four, the federal government should develop a flood risk scoring system based on postal code.

By mobilizing action, this would be a material contribution to retaining the equity within Canadian homes and supporting all levels of the Canadian economy.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

We'll now go to Ms. Fuller for five minutes or less, please.

[Susanna Fuller, Vice-President, Operations and Projects, Oceans North]

Thank you for inviting me today.

I think you have heard a fair amount from Oceans North staff on a few topics lately, so my introduction will be brief.

We are a Canadian oceans-focused charity that works to achieve healthy oceans that support vibrant communities. We work closely with indigenous communities and non-indigenous communities throughout Inuit Nunangat and Atlantic Canada. We also engage on international ocean issues where relevant. We attended COP26 as part of the Canadian delegation to try to raise ocean issues in the context of climate change.

Over the last several years, we have significantly increased our engagement on ocean and climate, with a focus on emission reductions in marine industries, shipping, ports and fishing vessels, and assessing the readiness of DFO to manage fisheries in a changing climate.

In 2021, we released a review of fisheries management practices and policies where there is a clear gap in proactive incorporation of climate change. We have since published three peer-reviewed papers on fisheries and climate change together with academic partners.

Things are changing when it comes to incorporating climate change, as just this week the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna adopted a forward-looking climate change resolution.

Because of our growing work on the climate and oceans space, we've been engaged with consultations and provided advice on aspects of Canada's climate policies, from the emissions reduction plan to the national adaptation strategy and the yet to be released blue economy strategy. We noted that in budget 2021, fisheries were not included in the sections of the budget relating to industry and climate. We have also commented on the fact that a blue economy strategy for Canada must connect to our net-zero ambitions and address coastal infrastructure.

I recognize that you called us here today to speak specifically to hurricane Fiona's effects on fish harvesters, fisheries infrastructure and the role of climate crisis on storm severity. I think the witnesses you just heard from as well as those you heard from in the previous session gave some very specific recommendations on how to deal with that.

Many of us with offices in Halifax, Newfoundland and Cape Breton felt very directly the impacts of hurricane Fiona; however, it's our view that the impacts of the hurricane and perhaps our overall lack of readiness is a symptom of a larger problem in Canada, whereby our coasts and oceans are often left out of climate plans, or climate impacts are left out of ocean strategies.

We have been duly warned well in advance by scientists about the comprehensive IPCC report in 2019 on the oceans and the cryosphere, by the reports you have already heard of here today and by communities that are seeing the changes on an annual basis. Climate change is and will impact our coastal communities and industries into the future and even more rapidly than we have been experiencing to date.

I would like to leave you with three overarching recommendations.

You have heard from the other witnesses on the need to really look at our small craft harbours. In 2018, DFO completed a study on the vulnerabilities of small craft harbours to climate change. This report needs updating with new data that then needs to be linked directly into infrastructure upgrades and funding to assist the most vulnerable ports in Canada, many of which are in Atlantic Canada, to adapt and, in some cases, retreat where the impacts of climate change are not manageable over the long term.

The national adaptation strategy is fairly comprehensive; however, I know I worked very hard to make sure the oceans, the coast and the fishing industry were included in that. More work could be done to ensure that our adaption strategy really speaks to the impacts on our coasts. I also worked with the provinces on that.

The second recommendation is that Canada needs an overarching oceans and climate strategy. We need to be proactive rather than reactive to the changes coming to our coasts and oceans, which are only slated to increase in speed rather than decrease.

Coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to storms and sea level rise. It's imperative that Canada develop a forward-looking, comprehensive strategy to adapt to and mitigate climate impacts, including nature-based solutions. Other jurisdictions are undertaking such work, including the U.S. This strategy should include predictions on what and where we might expect to have coastal fisheries into the future, given how much of our socio-economic well-being is reliant on fisheries in Atlantic Canada in particular. Provinces should be invited to join such a strategy and implement or develop coastal protection plans.

Finally, and this is again more of a thousand-foot view on this issue, we've noticed that the fishing industry, while maybe feeling the impacts of increased storms of intensity, is often not included in efforts to reduce emissions and to transition to net zero. Fuel costs are increasingly prohibitive, yet there are few incentives for fishers or boat builders to shift to low-emissions designs and engines. We have not started to switch our small craft harbours to electrification and to more sustainable renewable energy sources. In this line, more work needs to be done to shift our shipping to low emissions and electrify our ports.

I will leave it at that and am open to any questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you for that.

We'll now go to Mr. Barron for five minutes or less, please.

[Michael Barron, President, Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association]

Good afternoon, honourable members of Parliament. It is an honour to be here today to present the impacts of climate change and to discuss the effects Fiona had on some areas where my membership reside.

My name is Michael Barron. I'm the president of the Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association and a board member of the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation and the United Fisheries Conservation Alliance, the UFCA.

Also, I am an independent owner and operator who fishes lobster, halibut and snow crab from a small coastal community in Ingonish, in northern Cape Breton.

Fiona arrived on September 24 and hit Nova Scotia as the lowest-pressure recorded storm in Canadian history at 932, millibars. For comparison, in 2019, Dorian was 958 millibars and Hurricane Juan in 2003 was 973 millibars. Once Fiona hit Nova Scotia waters, the pressure difference could have caused warmer than average water temperatures, which would help fuel intensity. Historically, in September, the Gulf Stream tends to bring slightly more relaxed waters to the Maritimes. However, that was not the case this past September, as the jet stream seemed to carry warm water from the tropics further up the Atlantic coast than average for the time of year, which could definitely be a result of climate change.

Fiona created a considerable amount of damage for the short period she graced Cape Breton with her appearance. As a result, some of our members, from Gabarus to Bay St. Lawrence, experienced significant damage. Some fisherman lost wharves with traps that were stored for the season, along with roads leading to wharves that were washed out entirely. There was an extensive amount of sand washed into one harbour, and at this point it isn't known if vessels can actually utilize the harbour.

These harbours have been divested for several years and have left many unanswered questions and slow reactions in terms of clear concise relief opportunities. In some other ports, boats that could not get hauled out of water also suffered some damage.

The community of Ingonish, where I reside and fish out of, also received a considerable amount of wharf damage. This wharf had been scheduled for repair for several years, but the repairs kept getting put off. The barrier wall that protects the harbour in the southern part of my town has had a void in it for the last five years, and this has quadrupled in size since. It is to the point now where the ocean flows through the opening every high tide. This void allowed an eight-foot tide surge to cover the only southbound road in and out of our town. It reached people's homes and forced them to evacuate along that shoreline.

Further north, the only fish plant received a considerable amount of damage, which I am sure you have all seen throughout the media. A road and a bridge were washed out entirely on September 24 and were not replaced until November 8.

Storms of this magnitude have been known to have a lingering effect on fish's behavioural patterns. After Dorian blew through in 2019, the ocean was a desert for almost two months. As a result, the groundfish longline fleet had many unsuccessful halibut trips. In the fishing industry there is always uncertainty and never a guarantee to make a paycheque when you cut your lines clear to go fishing.

Since Fiona, the same has happened to the fleet, and we have been left wondering when things will return to normal. The pressure drop seems to have a dramatic effect on the migration pattern of the halibut, but not just the halibut. Lobster fishermen in fall and winter districts can attest to different behavioural patterns. High operating costs this season are leaving many longline boats tied to the wharf, causing there to be less high-quality protein available.

Fiona only added to the deteriorating coastline off Cape Breton. Year after year, post-tropical storms and violent northeast winter storms have left many coastal communities waiting for an unrecoverable event. They all seem to be stemming from climate change, but unfortunately, given the recent destruction caused by Fiona, the writing is on our shorelines and in our waters. Climate change is here, and it is time to build the infrastructure needed to protect the pristine coastlines known worldwide for their vistas and beauty.

It is time for our political parties to work with small craft harbours to help protect our coastal communities, which rely on these aging and failing infrastructures. It is time to build them bigger and better, and it is wiser to deal with the many changes from both climate and changing industry.

Thank you to the committee for studying the impact of Fiona and climate change on Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec, and I look forward to your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

Before I go to the round of questions, I of course want to welcome Mr. Bachrach, who is filling in for his colleague Ms. Barron. We will go to Mr. Small first, for six minutes or less, but I would ask the members of the committee to please identify who your question is for and not leave it just hanging for anybody to answer, because you'll be losing some of your time just sitting there looking to see who's going to answer.

Mr. Small, for six minutes or less, please.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses who have shown up in person especially here today, and to those who have joined online to help us out on our very important study.

My first question is for Mr. Barron.

I heard you mention some divested harbours and wharves that were damaged. How much of an issue is that going to be for your fleet in the coming season?

[Michael Barron]

I can give you one example. In one small harbour, there were five wharves that were all lost to Fiona and had traps stored on them. It's a unique situation, because it is divested and doesn't fall under the federal small craft harbours program. It's on private property. Some of these people did not own the property, so it's not deeded or insured. They're falling by the wayside. There's no provincial help and there's no federal help at this point.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

How many harvesters in that port would have relied on those divested assets, for example, and are now not able to count on federal funding to fix them?

[Michael Barron]

As I mentioned, it's a small harbour, for only five, so there are 15 people. Probably only approximately 45 people reside in that town. Fishing is the only thing in that little community.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

How widespread an issue are these types of wharves in all the affected areas—P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador—do you think?

[Michael Barron]

It's very widespread. I know that in Newfoundland you have the same issue with some divested harbours and stuff. You'll be facing the same thing.

I believe that both the provincial and the federal governments are working very closely to make sure they get the funding allocated that's necessary to get these repairs done. Unfortunately, it's taking too much time. Given the fact that we live so far north, winter is setting in, so time is of the essence to get this work completed.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

How much contact has your organization had with the small craft harbours program so far? How would you describe the progress at this stage?

[Michael Barron]

I can't answer that. I haven't had the direct contact with them that my staff has had. I will get you that answer in writing.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

That's perfect. Thank you.

I have a couple of questions for Mr. Leys.

Mr. Leys, have any contracts been signed by firms like yours to design wharves that need to be rebuilt for the spring?

[Vincent Leys]

Yes.

A number of projects are ongoing right now. They actually started before hurricane Fiona. We have redesigned wharf elevations and coastal protection and the like to incorporate Fiona. It's part of the ongoing work we do for these harbours. There's always work on the go.

I'm sure the people who work directly for the small craft harbours program would have a number of projects they can handle in-house to do the repairs as well. As part of a private consulting firm, I don't have a full picture, but I can tell you that there are many such projects going on.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I don't know if I was clear with my questioning.

What I meant was, has any new work begun since Fiona on the repair of damages or replacing wharves that were destroyed? Has any new work begun? I don't mean contracts that were in place before Fiona. I'm just checking on how the progress is going here on this path towards rebuilding.

[Vincent Leys]

We have some projects that are a direct rebuilding of some fish plants, for example, and properties that have lost shoreline.

In terms of the overall picture from the small craft harbours program, I would defer that question to someone working directly at the small craft harbours headquarters in Moncton.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

From the time your firm receives a contract to design a wharf, how long does it take to commission a wharf such as the one you mentioned in P.E.I. that was destroyed?

[Vincent Leys]

For construction...?

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

From the time you sign a contract to design it, to the time the wharf is commissioned for use, how long is that?