Question Period Note: Closure of Cabot Head lighthouse

• The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has not decided on the closure of the Cabot Head Lighthouse property.
• A decision will be made upon further discussion with the non-profit group who has operated the site, the Friends of Cabot Head, as well as analysis of potential implications of ongoing Indigenous claim negotiations and the state of the access road.
• A new complication in this situation is that part of the request to my Department is to fix a roadway for which we don’t have ownership.
• The 1.3 million dollars spent on the site over the last two years was directed toward environmental remediation under the Federal Contaminated Site Action Plan.

• Cabot Head Light station has been leased to the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula since 1995. Each lease term was for 5 years.
• The sub-leasing party, the Friends Of Cabot Head have been taking good care of this major tourist attraction and educational center.
• Due to adverse weather and overall deterioration of the buildings, the municipality has decided against the renewal.
• Over the last two years, the site was closed to tourists as the environmental remediation was in progress.
• The environmental cleanup is a part of the Federal Government’s overarching goal is to clean 95% of contaminated sites by 2034-35.
• The site is a surplus to departmental operations; however, a successful and timely divestiture remains challenging due to the potential implications of ongoing Indigenous claim negotiations.
• The access road to the site has deteriorated to the point where it is now virtually impassable and further to extensive property investigations, it has been determined that the federal government does not have ownership of the roadway. This presents several challenges to any reparations, despite the Friends of the Cabot Head’s insistence on having the federal government provide financial assistance to rebuild the roadway. The state of the road does not have an impact on Coast Guard operations as they typically access the site by either water or air.

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