New maritime conservation law for Canadian lighthouses

St John lighthouse, New Brunswick


Nearly 1,000 lighthouses are under threat after the Canadian government has declared them surplus to the country’s needs.

Under a new law which came into effect May 29, the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act grants the power for the government to divest itself of 976 lighthouses.

All of the lighthouses are considered to be in need of protection because of their maritime heritage significance. The new act aims to faster facilitate the sale of heritage lighthouses in order to allow them the opportunity to be preserved.

The government hopes that organisations, municipalities and members of the public will take advantage of the iconic landmarks' heritage and market value, and take responsibility for their long-term preservation and scope for heritage tourism.

The lighthouses were deemed surplus after Canada’s Coast Guard made an in-depth assessment that determined they could be replaced with simpler structures whose operation and maintenance could be more cost-effective over time.

Daniel Breton, director of navigation systems with the Canadian Coast Guard in Ottawa, said: "These lights across the country are providing essential services to mariners and the Coast Guard will ensure these services continue. This process is clearly not about turning off any lights. This process is only about the ownership and the management of the structures that support the navigation."

480 of the surplus lighthouses are in working order and provide vital navigational aids to mariners. However, most of the 976 lighthouses are in poor repair, out of service and continuing to deteriorate.

Krishna Sahay, director general of real property, safety and security for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said: "The lighthouses are in poor condition because we have not been spending a great deal of money on these lighthouses because they're not meeting operational requirements."

[Source: Daily Gleaner]