NR-M-98-41E
FUTURE USE OF MARITIME LIGHTHOUSES TO BE DISCUSSED AT CONFERENCE
November 10, 1998
Moncton -- The Canadian Coast Guard´s
Regional Advisory Committee on Lighthouse Alternative Use, is holding
a conference in Moncton, N.B., on November 12-13, 1998, on the future
use of lighthouses in the Maritime Provinces. The conference will be held
at the Holiday Inn Express and will be an opportunity for community groups
and other interested parties to learn how to become involved in the Lighthouse
Alternative Use Program.
The Coast Guard is responding to public
and community interest to preserve the heritage value of various lighthouse
facilities by teaming up with community partners. The Regional Advisory
Council is made up of representatives from heritage and community groups
from across the Maritimes and was established to assist the Coast Guard
in this process. We all feel very strongly that lighthouses are an important
part of our history and culture and that they should be preserved, says
Pam Harrison, chair of the advisory committee. We´re pleased that the
Coast Guard has shown its support for what we want to achieve.
Acting Regional Director for the Coast
Guard agrees and says, The Coast Guard knows these lighthouses are a significant
part of our heritage and have value beyond being aids to navigation. We
want very much for communities to have the opportunity to use them, either
to attract tourists or just preserve them as part of our history.
The Coast Guard is currently conducting
a navigational aids modernization process, after which all lighthouses
will either be designated operational or surplus. Surplus lighthouses would
then be sold in accordance with Treasury Board policy, which currently
requires that surplus property be made available first to other federal
departments, then to provincial governments, municipalities and finally
to other interested parties.
As well, the Coast Guard has some new ideas
to discuss which they hope will begin the process of turning more of these
lights over to local communities on a permanent basis.
The two-day conference in Moncton will
focus on the Coast Guard´s proposed new plan of action and how community
groups can get involved. It will also give delegates the opportunity to
meet with some of the policy makers from the Coast Guard who are involved
in maintaining Coast Guard lighthouses and properties.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Terrance Boucher
Communications
Fisheries and Oceans
Maritimes Region
Moncton, N.B.
(506) 851-7748
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