National Defence Committee on Jan. 31st, 2011

[Zane Tucker]

Yes. That's a good point, Mr. Simms. As you're alluding to, and as Fred said earlier, of course, part of it, I guess, is working with the Department of National Defence. You're a transient community and you are moving around. You heard us reference in our report that it's not just military; it's civilian as well. So I guess where you have both of those groups working side by side, it probably eases integration into the community.

With that, I suppose, it educates us folks in the town about the importance of the role they're doing. I guess we understand day to day what they're doing up there and also the people like the mechanics and others who are working on these helicopters and how important they are. It's a team effort. We often talk about the people who are jumping out of the helicopters to save people, but what's also important is the people who are keeping the helicopters ready to go.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

The other issue, too, that was pointed out--and I'd like to read it into the record this morning--was that 103 Search and Rescue does far more medevac situations than any other base across the country or any other province, for that matter. Sometimes it goes unheralded as to just what a great impact search and rescue has when it comes to the basic health of Newfoundlanders across the province.

In my riding alone there are 193 towns, and the largest town has only 13,000 people, so it gives you an idea of just how difficult things can be in the types of distress there are. I think there was a recent incident when they flew a young girl from Twillingate to St. John's, and that was straight medevac, whereas other provinces don't have that service available.

I'd like to go back to Mr. Johnson for just a moment.

In your situation, in the industry that you're in, and on the northeast coast, where do most of the harvesters, the fishermen, travel in a boat your size offshore?

[Albert Johnson]

All up and down the east coast, right on down below Cape Freels. It depends on what you're fishing. If you're fishing crab, most of the boats are up southerly. If you're fishing turbot, you're off...and then the shrimping.... Some of the boats are off 150 miles or 160 miles.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Would you say--and I'm asking you to make a blanket statement here--that the awareness of safety for harvesters is a lot better today than it was, say, 25 to 30 years ago? I mean the awareness of what to do and that sort of thing.

[Albert Johnson]

Oh yes, definitely.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Do you think the coast guard, along with search and rescue, played a big role in that, in promoting safety to harvesters?

[Albert Johnson]

Well, yes. Transport Canada and the coast guard, yes.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Okay. Do you think there's room for improvement, though? Do you think maybe they could be doing more to help out harvesters? Because it's not like you're dealing with one particular industry like offshore oil. You're dealing with a whole bunch of industries, with smaller vessels and whatnot. It has improved, I agree, but where do you see the coast guard getting more involved, or even search and rescue, to help benefit fisher people?

[Albert Johnson]

Well, the search and rescue is there now, but the response time is the problem. We're out there and we're relying on them if anything happens. I've been fortunate. I've been fishing now 50 years and I haven't had an incident yet where I've had to...except for the one I told you about. I mean, there are so many things can go wrong out there. At Transport Canada now, they have a lot of safety issues put in place, and there's room for more. There are a couple of things they should be having that they don't. I don't know if you want me to elaborate on it here today or not, but....

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

So your issue is more the regulations?

[Albert Johnson]

Yes, the regulations have really gotten strict in the last few years. Every four years we have to get our boats inspected, and they're really strict since those couple of incidents a few years ago.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Okay.

That's it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

I will give the floor to Mrs. Gallant.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman

Thank you all for coming here today.

I'd like to start off with Mr. Johnson and continue were we just left off.

You said there were a couple of recommendations you would make that Transport Canada should implement. Would you please elaborate on that?

[Albert Johnson]

Yes, I have a couple of things in mind. One is to put the alarm system in the bill. It's not mandatory. A lot of the vessels have one, but it's not mandatory. Another one is the camera in the engine room. I think those two things should be mandatory regarding the safety.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Are there ever times when you're out at sea that you're not able to be in communication with anyone on land?

[Albert Johnson]

Yes, there are.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Is it routine practice for the fishermen to have somebody on shore know what their float plan is, such as it may be, just in general speaking terms?

[Albert Johnson]

Well, most of the vessels that go offshore now have satellite telephones, and they all have sideband radios. The communication is there, but there are times when, of course, there's interruption of that, with weather conditions and whatever. You're 150 miles out there, and there are times when you can't communicate.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

If you can't communicate and you're outside the distance at which a helicopter could make its way there without having to stop somewhere else to refuel, is there any way that somebody else would know where you are? Do you let your people on shore know what path you're planning on taking? And how long would you be out of communications?

[Albert Johnson]

Well, we wouldn't be out of communications very long. Sometimes with weather conditions, you get a thunderstorm or heavy rain and you just can't.... But yes, I think everybody who goes offshore now has to have all these plans. You tell people where you're going and when you're going to be back and all this. You let your buyer know; you let your wife know and your friends and whoever.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Right.

Is there a length of time after which they definitely should get hold of the authorities to let them know? Do you have a maximum time you would want to be out of communications?

[Albert Johnson]

Well, if you were out there and were in trouble and couldn't communicate, I guess you'd activate your EPIRB, because everybody has an EPIRB. That sends out a distress signal to let the coast guard know you're in trouble.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

All right. Thank you.

My next question is for the airport authority and the city. On the west coast, as the oil and gas industry is ramping up to ship its product out to shore, the companies there are offering to augment what the SAR forces currently have in place. Now here it sounds as though there's a bit of a competition, that they're almost poaching your SAR technicians. That's the impression I'm getting from the testimony here.

You said you were willing to work with government, with the military, to ensure the infrastructure was in place. Have there been any conversations with the oil and gas companies as to whether or not they would be partners in these ventures, so that rather than taking your human resources away, you would all be working together?

[Reg Wright]

That discussion hasn't happened with anyone from the oil and gas industry. From our perspective, our discussions have focused on our partners at CFB and what they need.