FOPO Committee Report

Dissenting Report from Conservative Party of Canada Members

for the

Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans’ Study

of the

Current State of Department of Fisheries and Oceans' Small Craft Harbours

Stale Data and Poor Investment Outcomes

Throughout the Committee’s study examining the current state of Government of Canada’s Small Craft Harbours, the Committee received testimony raising strong concerns regarding the government’s inventory of small craft harbours and particularly the absence of up-to-date data in the inventory reflecting current conditions of inventoried harbours and associated infrastructure.

The federal government’s failure to effectively inventory small craft harbours and their state of repair, or disrepair, has resulted in a reactive, ad-hoc and emergency approach to maintenance rather than a proactive and planned approach to sustaining harbours.[1]

The continued absence of this data undermines the ability of the government to resource small craft harbours in a timely manner based on priority of needs of small craft harbours and their infrastructure.

During its study, the Committee also heard instances described by harbor users and harbour authorities where federal government investments were made to improve small craft harbours but the results of those investments were inadequate and represented only partial “band-aid” outcomes.[2]

These shortcomings are perhaps of no surprise in light the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) own 2013 assessment of the small craft harbor program which found that “data on harbour performance and harbour facility conditions was not entirely up-to-date, and that the [Small Craft Harbours Management Information Retriever (SCHMIR)] system was not being used across all regions.”[3]

In their appearances providing testimony to the Committee, DFO officials were unable to provide the Committee with the criteria used to determine the categorization of harbour conditions.

A DFO official stated that although all DFO regional offices now utilize the SCHMIR, the “…fulsome assessment, where we have a number that captures the full inventory, the most up-to-date information, is from 2013.”[4]  This gap of up-to-date data hampers government investments and must be rectified as soon as possible.

Recommendation

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada work with Small Craft Harbour Authorities using the SCHMIR program to complete an inventory assessment for all core harbours and provide a report of that inventory to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans before December 31, 2019.

Safety for Harbour Users and Workers

The safety of small craft harbours and associated infrastructure is very important for the livers of harbor users, workers and their families.

During its study, the Committee heard and saw evidence of inefficient or failed applications of funds that resulted in the harbor’s safety being degraded.[5] This evidence included non-functioning fire hydrants, access ramps to new infrastructure that failed shortly after installation and a recently installed breakwater blocking vessels’ access to moorage.[6]

The Committee received additional evidence describing the dangers of harbours operating over capacity, insufficient dredging, and firefighting equipment that had surpassed its lifespan. In some instances, unsafe conditions contributed to volunteer burnout and strife amongst harbor users.[7]

This evidence exposes the fact that the needs of the government’s small craft harbours require more than funding- there in an acute need for improved planning and management to support optimum and safe harbor operations.

Recommendation

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada review its inventory and safety assessments for all small craft harbours and develop maintenance and upgrade schedules in partnership with local harbour authorities to efficiently increase the safe and optimum operation of all harbours.