Harbour authority volunteer receives achievement award
Noel Facey of the Digby Neck Harbour Authority Association was recently awarded the Individual Achievement Distinction Award by Small Craft Harbours, a branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The award recognizes his exceptionally high level of efforts over the past six years as a volunteer with local harbour authorities on Digby Neck.
Distinction awards are given by Small Craft Harbours each year to formally recognize individuals and groups that go above and beyond what could normally be expected from volunteers representing harbour authorities. In particular, the Individual Achievement Distinction Award honours individuals who have shown extraordinary dedication to the ongoing success of their harbours and/or a significant contribution to the harbour authority program over the years.
Facey’s involvement with the harbour authority program began in 2014 as a volunteer for the Harbour Authority of Little River in Digby County. Since, he has led and contributed to a variety of successful projects and significantly improved the management of harbour authorities, not only in Little River, but on Digby Neck as a whole. Most notably, his efforts have resulted in the amalgamation of three smaller harbour authorities into the newly formed Digby Neck Harbour Authority.
The improvements made since his involvement began are many. He has been working hard to improve the overall management and governance of the amalgamated harbour authorities, including holding regular meetings, succession planning, avoiding conflicts of interest and ensuring directors understand their roles and responsibilities as part of a not-forprofit corporation.
He has also initiated a review of user fees, followed up on delinquent accounts and abandoned vessels, implemented the use of user agreements, and adopted new rules and regulations to ensure safe and orderly operations on the ground. He initiated a large cleanup of Sandy Cove harbour and made long-overdue repairs and upgrades to make the HA office usable again. He has become a consistent presence at the harbours, and users know who they can contact if they have questions or comments.
In 2018, he was invited to appear before the House of Commons’ standing committee on Fisheries and Oceans to give his opinion on emerging and recurring challenges faced by small-craft harbours and coastal communities that rely on them. He travelled to Ottawa in October 2018 and, among other things, discussed with the committee funding challenges for the program, the worrying state of infrastructure, and overcrowding conditions in the harbours in southwest Nova Scotia.
The harbour authority program depends on the efforts of volunteers and the value of Facey's contributions to the fishery and to fishing communities is significant, it was stated.