Small craft harbours Pacific Regional Harbour Authority Advisory Committee (PRHAAC)

Record of discussion

May 29, 2023
Virtual meeting
MS Teams

1. Welcome and review of agenda

The group started the meeting by doing a round of introductions. Afterwards the Agenda for this current meeting was reviewed.

2. Review of RoD and action items from Oct 26, 2022, meeting (All completed)

The group went over the past action items which were all completed. Below is a list of the action items:

1. Arian to follow up with Vahid about obtaining a copy of the old Maintenance Manual and sending it to Ben M - Completed
2. Arian to send a copy of the previous June 30th, Record of Decisions to PRHAAC members for their review and information. - Completed
3. Jaime to send Lam a list of any derelict vessels that are currently in the harbour which need to be removed. - Completed
4. Brenda to speak with Elise regarding the application for NRP (Net Recycling Program) and see how soon we can notify the potential project coordinator of his position. – Completed.
5. Arian to find out how many fishers came back to recover their gear in Ghost Gear and share with the group. - Completed
6. Provide Leslie with a clear statement regarding requirements of providing public access at harbours. - Completed
7. Date and time of next venue (Jaime is open to having another meeting at the Steveston Boardroom again) - Completed

3. SCH update

1. Staffing

   Rebecca Reid, the current Regional Director General for Small Craft Harbours is preparing for retirement. Once a replacement has been identified, SCH will share the update with PRHAAC.

2. Strike

   SCH updated that all staff have returned from the recent PSAC strike as of May 1st. SCH thanked members for their patience during this job action. All operations have resumed with outstanding items prioritized.

4. Purpose of PRHAAC

The group revisited the PRHAAC Terms of Reference. The group feels that PRHAAC is a successful mechanism for the region.

However, the group decided that more meetings throughout the year would be beneficial, as 2 per year is not enough. SCH to consider implementing more virtual meetings going forward where applicable, so that the group is more informed throughout the year.

Action item: Arian to send out a call-out to see if the group has any further recommendations for changes to the Terms of Reference for PRHAAC.

5. NHAAC (National Harbour Authority Advisory Committee) updates: November 2022:

1. Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Working Group

The names of the volunteers have been given to the national team (Sheila Seidemann from Port Edward, and Carol Doyle from Gibsons Landing).

To date there have been 3 meetings for this group. The first 2 sessions discussed problems facing the harbour’s and viable solutions. The third meeting was focused more on how to celebrate the SCH program for the following year.

NHAAC is working towards establishing a NHAAC subcommittee for retention and recruitment in the Fall of this year. National has hired a co-op student who will be helping them on this file.

2. Indigenous Working Group

PRHAAC emphasized the need for better education on respectful language when communicating with or discussing First Nation peoples. They also highlighted the importance of training in resolving conflicts during meetings related to First Nation matters. One suggested solution was to establish guidelines before meetings to ensure proper conduct.

The group believed that Harbour Authorities (HAs) should be involved in the communication strategy at both provincial and federal levels. HAs can play a role in ensuring the messaging is appropriate and effective, benefiting from and contributing to the educational process.

3. Harbour Manager Pocket Guidebook Working Group

National is hoping to have the completed manual printed and sent out by March 2024.

6. Crane policy

The First Crane Working Group met on May 25th to review the crane strategy and the 2021 Crane Survey results. They discussed regional crane-related questions and considerations for a new policy.

Next steps for SCH include refining the crane review criteria and creating a crane policy checklist. These will be presented at the upcoming crane policy working group meeting on June 22, 2023. SCH is also tasked with providing feedback on the Fulford crane training program proposal to Ben.

Action item: Add Jaime Gusto to the Crane Policy Working Group

7. Headlease rollout

The rollout of the Overhold Headlease has started. Pinky Kandola, the property officer in Harbour Development, will contact the Harbours directly to finalize the headleases, starting with the oldest ones. If any issues arise, she will involve the HAs Program Officers. For questions or concerns, please reach out to your Program Officer.

8. Travel budget reduction

DFO faces travel budget reductions, prompting SCH staff to prioritize efficient travel for in-person engagement with HAs. For questions or more information about this policy change, please contact your Program Officer.

9. PRHAAC suggested agenda topics

1. Dredging

Jaime updated:

Steveston received a provincial grant of $2.125M to dredge the Canary Channel, but it covers only a quarter of the total cost. Steveston HA plans to match the grant amount and is awaiting the federal government's offer. Jaime is advocating for dredging and encouraging other HAs to adopt a sediment user fee like Steveston, which enabled them to obtain the grant. Steveston is developing a model that can be used by other HAs in the Pacific region.

Action item: to keep dredging as a standing agenda topic item

2. PSSI (Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative) Update

SCH is waiting for the License Retirement Program’s (LRP) results regarding successful applications and who will be retiring their licenses. After that, SCH will contact those retiring their licenses to confirm interest in the Vessel and Gear Disposal Program.

Port Hardy was originally identified as a drop off Hub for Vessels and Gear, however, they will only be accepting vessels. The gear can be dropped off at Ocean Legacy Depot in Port McNeill. Mas Shima is the contact for gear recycling for the North Island – (Mas Shima, mas@stevestonharbour.com, 604-725-0013).

Jaime flagged that when majority of owners sell their licenses, a lot of those people will not be putting their boats through the recycling process, therefore, harbour authorities might be stuck with unlicensed boats. How is SCH going to communicate to Harbours as to which boats have licenses and which do not?

Action item: SCH to inform PRHAAC and all Harbours once there is an announcement from LRP regarding PSSI.

Action item: SCH will collaborate with LRP to determine shareable information that can help HAs identify licensed and unlicensed vessels in their Harbours.

3. Indigenous engagement

Covered during the Indigenous Working Group conversation held earlier in the meeting.

4. New HAABC seminar

The Seminar will be in Prince Rupert BC. Tentative dates have been set for the Week of January 23rd to 26th, 2024. It was decided that a presentation be done explaining the history of HAABC.

Below are some of the session/event ideas for the seminar:

1. Table topics
2. Ports of call – All on the first day
3. Employee retention
4. Speakers from Mountain Coast College – Accounting for not-for-profits
5. A new Director Governance video
6. On-the-docks harbour maintenance tour
7. Legal component, regarding trespassing
8. Harbour owned asset insurance
9. Review of the HAABC website
10. SCH booth/HAABC booth

Ben mentioned that the goal is to have Ron Du Plessis do a HAAC update at the conference, because the new insurance will be rolled out by then. This would be separate from Harbour Owned Asset Insurance.

Action item: Follow up with Darlene regarding Ron’s NHAAC presentation for the upcoming Seminar.

10. HAABC/SCH/PRHAAC meeting

Leslie Taylor is the new liaison for PRHAAC and HAABC. The group found the 45-minute allocated time for the HAABC seminar insufficient for an effective meeting. It was suggested to schedule future meetings on the first or second day, preferably during breakfast, to allow members enough time to raise questions and consult SCH staff during the seminar

11. Roundtable

The only updates shared was Ben to touch base with Jaime in having a pilot project with Fulford at Steveston regarding the Crane Policy.

Action items:

1. In progress: Arian to send out a call-out to see if the group has any further recommendations for changes to the Terms of Reference for PRHAAC.
2. Completed: Add Jaime Gusto to the Crane Policy Working Group
3. Completed: To keep dredging as a standing agenda topic item.
4. Completed: SCH to inform PRHAAC and all Harbours once there is an announcement from LRP regarding PSSI.
5. In progress: SCH will collaborate with LRP to determine shareable information that can help HAs identify licensed and unlicensed vessels in their Harbours.
6. In progress: Follow up with Darlene regarding Ron’s NHAAC presentation for the upcoming Seminar.

Next meeting dates: In-person Fall meeting (Steveston Boardroom) - [Tentatively the week of Sep 5th]