Evidence of meeting #27 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was project.
A video is available from Parliament.
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
There's more variability because of climate change. In some years, there will be weeks when water levels are low, which will lead to restrictions. It's hard to predict the quantity, but it should be more and more frequent.
Bloc
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Conversely, it seems to me that in the spring, we are seeing very high water levels more and more often. Perhaps it's because I don't have all the knowledge, but I find it a bit hard to understand why we have so many floods in the spring and then, in late summer, we also often run out of water. Doesn't that seem a bit contradictory?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
It may seem a bit contradictory, but the flooding experienced around Montreal in recent years was also caused by the Ottawa River and by water flows other than the St. Lawrence. It's not the only contributing factor.
Bloc
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
I suppose you're going to tell me again that you expect an increasing incidence of flooding.
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
Statistics show that the odds are higher, yes.
Bloc
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
As a representative of the organization in charge of the seaway, can you take steps to mitigate the effects of both low water levels at the end of the year and very high water levels in the spring?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
We are working with industry stakeholders to announce restrictions as quickly as possible. That way, they can load their ships accordingly. That is one step we are taking.
We are also taking steps to help them navigate during periods when there are current issues. We have operational tools in our tool box to optimize things.
Bloc
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Are you considering, for example, dredging the seaway or raising water levels? Is there any physical work in the offing?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
That is not currently the case.
Bloc
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
I have another question for you, but I don't think I'll have enough time.
Mr. Chair, if I may, I'll use the rest of my time in my next turn.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
That's fine. I will add 40 seconds to your next round.
Thank you, Mr. Barsalou‑Duval.
Next, we have Mr. Davies.
Mr. Davies, the floor is yours. You have five minutes, sir.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
With respect to wharf 18, you indicated that it was shovel-ready. Does that mean you have detailed engineering drawings available?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
Yes, we have a design.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
You have a design. For a design or the paperwork, I'm looking to see if we could do a P3 somehow. Are the drawings sufficient to attract a private-sector partner?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
That is correct.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
I still philosophically think this is a seaway project, and the seaway should fix its own assets. If we could find a partner to offset some of the costs, how long would it take for the seaway to move that through your capital improvement system? You would still have to run the project. Is that correct?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
That's correct.
This is a two-year long construction project. You would probably add one year of planning.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
I'll go back to my original question. Is this the only wharf in the system now that has been classified as abandoned?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
There are others, but there are no plans envisioned for those. They were abandoned decades ago.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
This one was probably abandoned two decades ago as well.
Do you have any plans for those other wharfs? If there were money available, would wharf 18 be your key priority?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
It's the key priority.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
The $22.7 million through the national trade corridors fund is another government funding source. We have The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. We have Transport Canada, which owns everything. Now we have a fund that is contributing to this project. I'm concerned that we're going to lose access to those funds through the national trade corridors fund if we don't move on wharf 18 soon.
Do you agree with that?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
I agree with that concern.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
Do you have any information about the timing of whether that money is going to disappear?
Vice-President, Engineering & Technology, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
I don't.