MP Larry Miller hand-delivers letter to Minister in support of Meaford Harbour.

Today, in the House of Commons, Larry Miller, Member of Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, hand-delivered a letter to the Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, regarding the need for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to honour an agreement with the Municipality of Meaford and fund urgent repairs at the Meaford Harbour.

On September 29th, 2017 a large storm surge caused significant damage to the break wall and the docks at the Meaford Harbour. The Municipality has obtained different
quotes that reveal that costs for repairs range from $65,000 - $75,000.

In 2016, a five year lease was entered into between DFO and the Municipality for a term beginning on July 1st, 2016 through to June 30th, 2021. The agreement stipulates that "Nothing in this provision shall obligate the Agent [Municipality] to be responsible to effect repairs of any major structural kind". However, DFO officials have informed the Municipality that they will require the Municipality to cost share on a 50%-50% basis for all required work up to $80,000. Any costs above the $80,000 threshold would also be the Municipality's responsibility.

"Today, I was happy to deliver a letter to the Minister regarding the important repairs that are urgently needed at the Meaford Harbour," said Miller. "The agreement between the Municipality and the department is crystal clear – the Municipality is not responsible for costs associated with repair work. My letter to the Minister calls on him to instruct his officials to honour the signed agreement and cease this attempt to download costs onto the Municipality."

Repairs are urgently required as the existing damage could worsen. The armour stone could create navigation problems and the break wall could continue to deteriorate.

Should the break wall deteriorate significantly, the docks in the inner harbor could be vulnerable to significant damage.

source: media release, MP Larry Miller