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PICTOU LANDING – The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced on behalf of the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that Canada’s New Government will provide funding in the amount of $8.2 million for improvements at seven fishing harbours in Nova Scotia.
"The fishery has been a central part of Nova Scotia’s economy for centuries," said Minister MacKay. "This federal investment will do a lot to help our fishers maintain their important contribution to our province."
The Pictou area has seen a significant increase in the number of fishing vessels in recent years, particularly from the Pictou Landing First Nation.
A large, multi-year project to develop a commercial fishing harbour serving all fishers, including First Nations, in an integrated and centralized facility will start this fall at Pictou Landing. Harbour improvements will include dredging, construction of a timber pilework wharf to create an enclosed basin, construction of a marginal wharf extension and service area, as well as the installation of floating wharves. When completed, the development will provide a full service harbour with much safer operating, berthing, and navigation conditions. Repairs were recently completed to the existing wharf to help keep the harbour serviceable during implementation of the major harbour improvements.
Another project will start this year at Owls Head, a small but busy fishing harbour. The project will involve reconstruction of the wharf, reinforcement of the rubblemound wharf approach, installation of floating wharves and some dredging. The completion of this work will provide local fishers with a more operationally efficient harbour.
Ongoing projects include wharf reconstruction at Baileys Brook as well as wharf reconstruction and basin dredging at Pictou Island. Other work this season, at Barrios Beach (Tracadie), involved the installation of fenders and ladders on a section of marginal wharf as well as wheelguard replacement.
Furthermore, planning will be initiated for harbour projects that will be carried out in future years at Arisaig and Havre Boucher. Arisaig will also be the site of repair work to the launching ramp and service area.
These projects will be implemented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as part of its Small Craft Harbours Program, in cooperation with the harbour authorities that manage and operate the facilities for local users. This close cooperation with clients allows the federal government to continue to provide an operable system of harbours and facilities throughout Canada in support of commercial fishers.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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For Owls Head :
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For Pictou Landing, Baileys Brook,
Pictou Island, Arisaig, Havre Boucher and Barrios Beach (Tracadie):
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Communications Branch
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
(902) 426-9318
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Frédéric Butruille
Communications Manager
Corporate Services
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Moncton, New Brunswick
(506) 851-7218
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NR-HQ-07-25E |
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