Canada invests $70 million in New Brunswick small craft harbors

As part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to growing the economy to help everyone get ahead, Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard has announced a $70-million investment over three years to continue important work at 18 small craft harbors in New Brunswick.

Minister Lebouthillier made the announcement at Cap-des-Caissie, one of the harbors receiving this funding. Over the next three years, this harbour will receive a new wharf, improvements to armourstone protection, basin dredging, and improvements to the containment cell, which hold sediment from dredging.

“With Budget 2024, we’re giving ourselves the means to achieve our ambitions, by equipping our harvesters with modern harbors where their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will carry on our finest maritime traditions,” said Minister Lebouthillier.

More than $23.5 million of this overall investment in New Brunswick will also be used to reconstruct and repair piers, breakwater and other critical harbour infrastructure at six harbors that sustained serious damage from Hurricane Fiona.

• Small craft harbors provide critical support to the commercial fishing industry, which had landings valued at almost $4.7 billion in 2022.
• Small craft harbors support more than 45,000 jobs within the Canadian commercial fishing industry, as well as many thousands of additional jobs in supporting industries.
• DFO is responsible for keeping 949 harbors critical to the commercial fishing industry open and in good repair.
• Harbor restoration projects are undertaken in cooperation with the local harbor authorities, which are incorporated, not-for-profit organizations that manage and operate facilities for local users. There are more than 5,000 volunteers in harbor authorities across Canada.