Question Period Note: Structure at Saulnierville Harbour

• On May 7, 2021, Fisheries and Oceans Canada removed the unauthorized structure on the wharf in Saulnierville, Nova Scotia, which is characterized publicly as a Treaty truckhouse.
• This was done for safety and liability reasons so that the Saulnierville wharf remains safe and accessible to all.
• The owner of the structure was contacted in March 2021 and departmental officials and Small Craft Harbours staff had been in communication with concerned parties to find a solution for the structure. We will be in contact with the owner on next steps.

Small Craft Harbours Mandate
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada owns and maintains a nationwide network of harbours used by the fishing industry, and part of our mandate is to ensure the harbours remain safe and accessible.

• The wharf in Saulnierville, Nova Scotia, has been used since September 2020 by a number of Indigenous harvesters as a base to conduct fishing activity in nearby St. Mary’s Bay. This included vessels, tents and trailers owned by Indigenous harvesters on the wharf and adjacent property, as well as a shed that was placed in December.
• When their fishing activity ended at the wharf late in 2020, the owners of the tents, boats, and trailers started to remove their equipment on their own.
• Senior departmental officials and Small Craft Harbours staff have been working with concerned parties regarding the structures on a path forward to ensure safe and equitable access to the wharf and grounds at Saulnierville NS.
• A remaining unauthorized structure was removed by DFO officials on May 7, 2021.

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