Members of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans have completed a fact-finding tour in Newfoundland and Labrador on lighthouses and the role of lighthouse keepers, and will hear from user groups and residents next week in British Columbia.

“Representations in Newfoundland and Labrador generally stressed the value of staffed lights,” said Senator Bill Rompkey, chair of the committee. “But we are listening to all opinions and gathering information with an open mind.”

Unlike public hearings which require the full apparatus of simultaneous interpretation and full transcription according to Senate rules, fact-finding sessions are less formal meetings, enabling senators to have frank and productive discussions.

Senators spent six days (October 31-November 5), in Newfoundland and Labrador, visiting lighthouses and municipalities on the northeast coast, Burin Peninsula, Avalon Peninsula, and in St. John’s. Participants included serving and retired lightkeepers, fishing and boating interests, provincial and municipal representatives, heritage-preservation groups, and others.

For the November 15-20 British Columbia trip, many parties have already contacted the Committee. Participants in meetings will include representatives of fishermen, recreational boaters, shipping interests, aviators, lightkeepers themselves, community representatives, and coastal residents. Senators will also be visiting representative lighthouses in a variety of coastal areas.

“Visiting a selection of representative lighthouses in Newfoundland enabled the committee to understand the many roles lighthouses and lightkeepers play in the lives of coastal communities in terms of both marine safety and heritage,” said Senator Dennis Patterson, deputy chair of the committee.

Two major issues have emerged during the course of the committee’s lighthouse study: firstly, the staffing of lighthouses; and secondly, the heritage preservation of lighthouses. The committee intends to table a report in the Senate on lighthouse staffing by the end of the year. Lighthouse preservation issues will continue to be studied in 2011, with a second report on heritage preservation matters to follow.

Meetings will be held at the Civic Centere starting on the 19th of Nov. People need to make an appointment with danielle labaonte to speak.

Contact labondsen.parl.gc.ca
All other questions call jim abramm 285-3355 jimabramxplornet.ca or alice wood 250-203-2421 newdawnlincsat.com