Taking over federal docks helps municipalities make money

More shoreline communities in Ontario are taking control of government-owned docksfollowing a federal decision to get out of running smaller, recreational harbours.

In Nipigon, the town took ownership last year after getting the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to put in new docks.

Mayor Richard Harvey said it was essential because the DFO wasn't maintaining the old structures.

"We have seen other places where eventually it gets so bad that they will have to shut it down, and we didn't want to get to that point," he said.

"We see an increase and a growth in tourism, we need to have the infrastructure in place."

One community on Lake Huron knows what harbours can mean for tourism.

The municipality of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, which includes Little Current,acquired its waterfront docks and had them rebuilt several years ago.

"The mainstay for our community is tourism, and we get thousands of boaters that pass through here every year," said Mayor Alan MacNevin. "It's a big revenue generator for us."

A spokesperson for DFO said it's gradually ridding itself of recreational harbours because they are no longer part of its mandate.

Docks needed

Taking over the docks has been a positive undertaking, MacNevin added.

"Most municipalities do a lot of things to service the community, but very few [of those things] bring in revenue, and this one [the docks/waterfront] does," he said. "We always manage to take that money and re-invest it in the waterfront and it continues to drive our economy, basically."

The campers association in another small community east of Thunder Bay Silver Islet has started negotiations to have the dock there transferred to its control.The governmentclosed it earlier this year because it was structurally unsafe.

But it could prove to be a long transfer process. Harvey said the town of Nipigon was in negotiations with DFO for several years before they struck an agreement.

"What was important is that we needed to have that facility here in town," he said.

The Nipigon docks were originally built in the late 1800s and Harvey said there had been many repairs done on them over the years, but they were rapidly deteriorating.

Eventually "we were able to, not only replace what was there but, actually upgrade it [and] upgrade the electrical system," Harvey said.

"The Superior North Shore Regatta was just in town and you won't believe the number of comments that were made about the quality of the dock. I mean, it is an absolutely beautiful dock."