Question Period Note: Restrictions at the fishers’ wharf

Safety restrictions at the Cap-aux-Meules fishers’ wharf

• Following the results of a detailed, external inspection conducted in November 2020, Transport Canada is restricting access to sections of the fishers’ wharf to protect the safety of the population. Various measures have been implemented to secure the site and will remain in place until further notice.
• Transport Canada is working with stakeholders to mitigate the impacts, to the extent possible, while adhering to its mandate of safety and security.
• The installation of a temporary dock is planned to be completed at the end of March 2022, before the next crab fishing season. Fishermen and fisherwomen and users have been consulted and will be kept informed of the progress of this project.

If pressed:

• Transport Canada conducts regular maintenance work and annual inspections to maintain and extend the life of the department's infrastructure, and to ensure the safety of the operations.
• Transport Canada understands the importance of the port of Cap-aux-Meules for the socio-economic development of the Magdalen Islands. The Department is working with stakeholders to find solutions that will protect wharf users while strengthening the local community.

• Following the results of a detailed, external inspection conducted in November 2020, Transport Canada is restricting access to sections of the fishers’ wharf to protect the safety of the population.
• In a notice issued to users on February 25, 2021, the department implemented user restrictions, which include the relocation of certain tenant facilities and equipment, a reduction in the number of available berths and the prohibition of vehicle access in certain sectors. Also, trucks and cranes are not permitted on the wharf. These restrictions do not concern the marine travel lift wharf structure owned by the Coopérative de transport maritime et aérien (CTMA) or the launching ramp for small boats operated and maintained by the Club nautique de Cap-aux-Meules.
• Restrictions affect only a portion of the facility:
  o Seven sectors on the surface of the wharf are closed to traffic.
  o Three areas are closed to mooring.
• As expected, these user restrictions have impacted fishing operations in the community. La Renaissance des Îles de la Madeleine and Fruits de Mer Madeleine, two important stakeholders, had to move equipment and installations out of the restricted areas.
• TC provided the inspection report to fishermen who requested it as well as to CTMA.
• Wharf repairs cannot be completed until Summer 2022 and will not significantly extend the useful life of the wharf.
• To compensate for the reduction in mooring spaces, the installation of a temporary dock along the fishers’ wharf is planned to be completed at the end of March 2022, before the next crab fishing season. Fishermen and fisherwomen/users have been consulted and will be kept informed of the progress of this project.

Location: Cap-aux-Meules (Magdelen Islands, Quebec)