Contexte

As happens almost everywhere throughout the country, communities are increasingly willing to get involved in the management of government programmes, and governments as far as they are concerned also want to get closer to their citizens. Consequently, within the framework of the mandate given to the Small Craft Harbours, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the creation of Harbour Authorities (HA) was the answer to this two-pronged approach.

History

In Quebec, 1990 was the year when the first HAs were created. These organizations are non-profit corporations governed by Canada Corporations Act Part II. Today, there are more than forty of them that operate about fifty commercial fishing harbours located in the North Shore, Gaspe peninsula and the Magdalen Islands.

Partership

The harbours are managed through a lease agreement with the HA which have the responsibility of the day-to-day management, maintenance and minor repairs of the facilities, depending on their finances. Major interventions remain the preserve of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans which is still the owner of the rented property.