Fishermen on P.E.I. (Prince Edward Island, one of eastern Canada’s maritime provinces, off New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the Gulf of St. Lawrence) say the federal government’s $300-million fund for Atlantic Canada is a good start to recover from post-tropical storm Fiona, but falls far short of what is needed.
It will cost millions just to fix the wharf at Covehead Harbour alone, said Allan Coady.
“It’s unbelievable, the damage. It’s almost a condemned wharf the way it is right now.”
Coady said the goal now is to patch the wharf back together as well as they can, so fishermen can get back to work next spring. He believes there’s not enough time — or money — to complete the work before then.
“This is not the only wharf that was damaged, that’s the problem. If it was the only wharf, it wouldn’t be a problem. But there are many like this. It’s devastated this whole community.”
On Monday, federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray got a first-hand look at the damage caused by the storm, but didn’t commit any new money.
She did say $100-million of the $300-million announced by the prime minister earlier this month will be used to support urgent harbour repairs.