‘Just in the nick of time’
Halls Harbour getting federal cash for wharf upgrades
The federal government is sinking some cash into a deteriorating wharf in Halls Harbour.
Kings-Hants MP Scott Brison, president of Canada’s Treasury Board, visited the Halls Harbour Lobster Pound & Restaurant July 18 to announce that the government of Canada intends to release $47 million for small craft harbours improvement projects in Nova Scotia.
Of that funding, Brison said a portion will be used to replace a deteriorating wharf in Halls Harbour. The price tag for the project will be determined following a tender process, and it is anticipated the work could be completed next summer.
Halls Harbour, Brison said, “is the home port of 12 fishing vessels with landings of over $1.9 million annually.”
The announcement, made on behalf of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is part of the federal government’s commitment to dedicate $289 million to Small Craft Harbours Program projects throughout the country this year.
“We’re investing in infrastructure broadly because we believe now is the time to make these kinds of investments,” said Brison, who stressed that work to maintain small craft harbours is ongoing in coastal communities with infrastructure that is frequently exposed to “unforgiving” environments with powerful tides.
Harbour Authority of Halls Harbour operations manager Charles Skerry said the funding will likely be used for a retaining wall, short wharf improvements and some road work.
The Halls Harbour group started to advocate for wharf improvements after noting some rot underneath the structure.
“This funding just came in the nick of time, I would say,” said Skerry. “We are very lucky.”
Skerry estimated that the harbour authority and various community members started hosting meetings about this project four to five years ago.
“It was a long time coming,” he said. “It’s very, very exciting.”
As for divestiture process for the damaged wharf in nearby Scotts Bay, Brison said there were no updates regarding what would become of the structure after tides split it into two separate sections during post-tropical storm Arthur in July 2014.
“There is currently a dialogue with the local community on that,” he said.