Location: Atlantic Canada
Issue/source: Parliamentary Appearance
Date: November 30, 2022
Suggested responses
- The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of Marine Atlantic’s ferry service in connecting communities, visitors, and businesses of Newfoundland and Labrador to mainland Canada.
- Marine Atlantic is an independent Crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the Government of Canada and is responsible for managing its business decisions and operations, including capital projects.
- The Government of Canada is committed to helping Marine Atlantic deliver a safe, reliable, and cost-efficient ferry service to visitors and residents, which is why capital funding has been provided for the construction of a new administration building in the town of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- In a 2020 funding decision, the Government of Canada allocated $14.7M in new funding to Marine Atlantic for the construction of a new administration building in Port aux Basques. Authority to commence the project was granted in March 2021 with the approval of the Corporation’s 2020-21 Corporate Plan.
- On November 15, 2022, Marine Atlantic announced that Olympic Construction based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, has been selected to build the new administration building in the town of Port aux Basques.
- The new facility is expected to remedy current issues such as overcrowded space, poor accessibility for disabled people, dated heating and air-conditioning system, dated electrical systems, and accommodation issues resulting from employees working from two separate locations in Port aux Basques.
- The building is expected to be completed in summer 2024 and upon completion meet Leader in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) certification requirements. It will feature electric vehicle charging stations and tilt panel construction to make the building sturdier and use more weather-resistant materials requiring less maintenance.
- Hurricane Fiona did not damage any of Marine Atlantic’s infrastructure.
- The $4,690,390 of capital funding Marine Atlantic is seeking to access through the Supplementary Estimates (B) is sourced from unused 2021-22 authorities that could not be spent due to a variety of projects being delayed by supply chain and scheduling issues during the pandemic.