No. A001/12
For release - May 24, 2012
Fortune, NL – Norman Doyle, Senator for Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced the transfer of the Port of Fortune to the Harbour Authority of Fortune Inc. The transfer agreement includes a contribution of $7 million from the Government of Canada, to be used exclusively to cover operational costs and maintain the Port's infrastructure. Transport Canada's Port Divestiture Program made the transfer possible.
“This transfer has put control of the port directly into the hands of the community, allowing the port to respond more effectively to the needs of the people of Fortune, local business operators and port users,” said Senator Doyle, on behalf of Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “Community based ownership of this port will help generate economic growth, local jobs and increased business activity in Fortune and throughout the Burin Peninsula. The transfer will also save taxpayers’ money.”
The Port of Fortune is located on the southern end of the Burin Peninsula on Newfoundland's south coast. It is an international port, the only Newfoundland and Labrador port that provides a regularly scheduled ferry service to the French island of St. Pierre et Miquelon.
The transfer includes three commercial berths, a small marshalling yard, approximately 35.7 hectares of waterlot or harbour bed, and a building that is exclusively utilized by Canadian Border Services Agency for the processing of passengers and goods proceeding to and from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. One of the three commercial berths is primarily utilized in support of the fishing industry.
The Harbour Authority of Fortune Inc. is a not-for-profit local entity with membership from local businesses and community stakeholders that has been established to promote the development of the port.
"As the new owner and operator of the Port of Fortune, we are pleased that we are now in a position to make decisions at a local level on the best use of the port for the needs of the community and the region," said Earl Rose, President of the Harbour Authority of Fortune Inc. "We can now make and encourage new investments that will strengthen our economy and serve this community and the needs of its users."
The Port Divestiture Program aims to transfer ownership and operation of TC-owned ports to other federal departments, provincial/territorial governments or local interests, including municipalities, which are better positioned to operate these ports in a manner that is more efficient and responsive to local needs.
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