Surplus lighthouses can have new owners

As of May 29, 2010 individuals, municipalities or non-profit groups may apply to Parks Canada for heritage designation of any federally owned lighthouse property that has been declared surplus by DFO.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has declared about 480 active lighthouses and approximately 490 inactive lighthouses across Canada surplus to its needs. Under the new Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, these properties can be transferred to new owners wishing to take advantage of their heritage designation or tourism potential.

Two of the surplus active lighthouses are located in the Coast of Bays - Rocky Point in Harbour Breton and St. Jacques Island in Fortune Bay.

Nelson Kalil is a spokesperson for DFO in connection with the lighthouse surplus program.

Kalil said that the active lights that will remain in the surplus active structures are still important to the Coast Guard, and the actual navigation light in a structure will not be a part of the transfer. The light itself will remain property of DFO with the Canadian Coast Guard ensuring its operation.

Kalil said, "It is the structures housing the lighthouses that are not essential. They do not have any particular purpose to the department as they can be replaced with simpler structures whose operation and maintenance would be more cost-effective.

"Nowadays, many lighthouses are automated and can operate without having personnel on site." (The lighthouses that are staffed have not been declared surplus and are not candidates for transfer under the Act at this time.)

Judy Foote, Member of Parliament for Random-Burin-St. George's, said that the Conservative government's announcement that it is getting rid of close to 1,000 heritage lighthouses that they consider surplus is inconsistent with the intent of the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act.

"It is the responsibility of the federal government to preserve these Canadian icons," Foote said. "The wholesale dumping of lighthouses shows a complete disregard for the importance of these historical buildings."

Kalil continued, "DFO's mandate is the maintenance and operation of navigational lights. It is not our mandate to maintain lighthouses for heritage and/or tourism reasons."

Mayor Eric Skinner said that one of his concerns with the transfer of ownership of lighthouses is that communities may be losing a part of their heritage.

Mayor Skinner said, " The Rocky Point Lighthouse has been a long-time structure in our community and is an important part of our heritage. I hope that council or some interest group in the community can acquire the structure as we have already declared it as an official municipal heritage site."

Doug Wells is the Coast of Bays representative on the Board of Directors for the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Wells said that that the Rocky Point Lighthouse is very important to Harbour Breton as it's within the town's boundaries, is accessible by a walking trail and there's an unbelievable scenic view from the structure. Wells also said that the structure, which was recently refurbished by DFO, represents a lot of community history since its construction in 1881.

The following information is taken directly from DFO's web site - www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca:

Individuals, municipalities or community-based non-profit groups can seek heritage designations for lighthouses by forwarding a petition to the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, within two years after the coming into force of the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act.

Complementary uses such as for a restaurant or a museum could be permitted at lighthouse sites in order to generate revenue to cover maintenance costs.

editor@thecoaster.ca