Evidence of meeting #41 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Alexis Deschênes Bloc Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC
Mr. Vigneault, what do you know about the potential impact of offshore wind turbines on marine ecosystems?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
This is a region that has been relatively well studied, as evidenced by the amount of data we provided in the report. We work with international partners, including the Europe-based International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, which has much more experience. Our scientists are working with international scientists to truly understand the effects this will have on marine ecosystems.
We need to understand the baseline conditions of marine ecosystems. One section of the report highlights that, from an oceanographic perspective, the designated areas are relatively dynamic zones. Many significant changes are taking place within the ecosystems.
Furthermore, we need to know exactly where the facilities will be situated. Only general areas have been designated so far. Our data show that biodiversity varies considerably within these areas, so a more in-depth analysis will have to be conducted once the precise locations are known.
We also need to consider the type of tidal turbines that will be used. Some are anchored to the seabed, while others are floating. Additional information will be included in future risk assessments. Right now, our work focuses primarily on species at risk, commercial fish stocks and marine mammals. To carry out this work, we are collecting the necessary information to thoroughly document baseline conditions and to make projections regarding the potential impact of wind turbines on surface currents, for instance.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you, Mr. Vigneault.
I'll now go to the Conservatives for five minutes.
Ms. Kronis, go ahead.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'm very happy to be here today, and I want to thank you for having me at this meeting.
I'm going to ask some questions of Mr. Vigneault, and if anyone else needs to answer them, I'd be grateful if you'd just jump in.
The DFO report that we're looking at considers four wind energy areas off Nova Scotia where large wind farms could eventually be built. Am I correct that some of those areas overlap with existing or proposed marine protected areas?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Yes, that's part of the document. There are partial overlaps. It's fully described in the report.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Thank you for that.
Were the people who were doing this report aware of how a wind farm is built?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
As I alluded to in my previous answer to Mr. Deschênes, it is difficult to assess a priori the impact without knowing the exact location or the....
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
The question I was asking is, do you have expertise within DFO around how a wind farm is built?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We don't have—
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
No, it's not, with all due respect. I'd ask you to stop the clock.
We've had a number of discussions about what's in the report and what's not in the report and what the boundaries were. I think it's perfectly relevant to ask what kind of expertise was around the table when people were considering what to include in the report or what not to include in the report.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
If that's your question, that's a valid one. The earlier one didn't sound as if it was valid.
Can you answer that question, Mr. Vigneault?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
No, the report doesn't address that. The engineering aspect of wind farms is totally outside of the scope. The goal of the report was to share the expertise DFO has and, within the expertise we have, the data we have on our activities around that.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Are you saying that DFO has no expertise on how a wind farm is actually built?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
That's not part of the mandate of DFO.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Chair, I have a point of order. This is clearly outside the scope of what was requested.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Yes, I agree, Mr. Morrissey, that this is outside the scope of the report. Obviously, it's very clear that the report is a compendium of existing data that DFO already had. This is not about assessing the impact of wind farms. It's just about existing data.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
There was no need for the people around the table to assess the impact. They shouldn't have that expertise. They were collecting data that was already there.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
I'm sorry, Madam Chair, but I wasn't asking whether or not they assessed the impact. I was asking whether or not there was anyone in the room who knows how a wind farm is actually built.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Move on, please. I've stopped the clock, but let's move on to questions focusing solely on the report and its mandate.
Conservative
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Okay.
When you were considering what data to include in the report, did you make decisions about what should be included in the report or what shouldn't be included in the report based on the geography that was under consideration?
Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Exactly. It was based on the four areas that were identified. We looked at what datasets and relevant information we had on the ecosystems and fisheries. That's what brought in the—