NR-HQ-01-74E

George Farrah Announces a $2.8 Million Federal Investment in Harbour Improvements in the Magdalen Islands

July 13, 2001

CAP-AUX-MEULES -- Georges Farrah, Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bonaventure – Gaspé – Îles-de-la-Madeleine – Pabok, announced today on behalf of the Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, a $2.8 million federal investment in harbour improvements and maintenance dredging projects at several fishing harbours in the Magdalen Islands, in Quebec.

"Harbours are key to the economic viability of the fishing communities of the Magdalen Islands," said Mr. Farrah. "Through this new funding, the harbours will be better able to serve the needs of fishers and coastal communities."

The reconstruction of the inner breakwater at Étang du Nord will resume in July, once the armour stone is delivered to the work site from Nova Scotia. The work should be completed within the next few weeks. The completion of this project will enable the fishers to unload their catches and to once again moor their vessels in complete safety in the interior basin of the port.

Repairs will be made to the Cap Vert wharf under a transfer agreement between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the municipality of Fatima. The work is being carried out under DFO’s harbour rationalization effort. Upon completion of the work, the users of the wharf, which will then be owned by the municipality, will have access to safe facilities adapted to the needs of the local fleet.

At Grosse Île, repairs will be made to the timber cribwork located at the end of the breakwater, which collapsed during last October’s storm. The repairs and consolidation work are necessary in order to prevent the structure from overturning in the harbour entrance.

At Île d'Entrée, repairs will be made to the north section of the base of the slipway, which suffered extensive damage in the storm of October 2000. The work is scheduled for early winter 2001/02.

The existing north jetty will be repaired and raised at the same time, i.e., late fall 2001 or early winter. In the meantime, work on the plans and specifications and environmental screening has begun in order to obtain the necessary environmental authorizations.

The project to raise the existing north jetty is urgent and constitutes the first phase of a major infrastructure improvement project at the Île d'Entrée harbour. Project pre-engineering, technical studies and plans and specifications for this major harbour development project will also be completed by March 31, 2002.

The same is true of the planning stage of the Grande-Entrée fishing harbour expansion project, which will continue over the coming months. The plans and specifications for the development option recently approved by the fishers and other local stakeholders should be ready by the fall of 2001.

Finally, maintenance dredging is currently in progress at Grosse-île. This will complete the annual maintenance dredging program in the Magdalen Islands which also included the fishing harbours of Millerand, Pointe-Basse and Île d’Entrée.

The dredging operations will provide a sufficient water depth in the basins and channels to ensure safe navigation conditions for fishers.

All these projects are undertaken by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Small Craft Harbours Program, in collaboration with those Harbour Authorities which manage and operate facilities for the benefit of local users. It is this close cooperation that enables the federal government to continue to provide an operable system of harbours and facilities throughout Canada in support of commercial fishing and resident coastal communities.