Federal Government Pledges Harbour Funding for Wheatley and Erieau, but Final Figures Still Unknown
The federal government has announced that two southwestern Ontario fishing harbours — Wheatley and Erieau — will receive a share of a $957.8 million national investment in small craft harbours over five years, but the exact amounts earmarked for each site remain undetermined while the work is put out to tender.
What the Money Is For
The funding comes through Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Small Craft Harbours Program, announced as part of the federal government’s spring economic update. The program is intended to fund repairs, upgrades, and dredging at harbour facilities across the country, with infrastructure built to meet current climate projections.
At Wheatley Harbour, home to 59 commercial fishing vessels, the planned work includes encapsulating the East Pier in steel, constructing a new concrete deck, and dredging the Entrance Channel and Sediment Sink. At Rondeau (Erieau) Harbour, which supports 25 commercial fishing vessels, the funds will go toward rehabilitating Breakwater 303 and Basin 201.
A Long-Standing Safety Problem
Boats running aground at Wheatley Harbour have been a documented safety concern for more than a decade. Fishers and harbour advocates have repeatedly called on the federal government to make a capital investment rather than continuing to fund repeated dredging exercises.
Vald Demelo of the Wheatley Harbour Committee said the east wall needs to be extended by two to three hundred feet. “That would shelter us a little bit better,” Demelo said. “We would avoid the continuous money spent on dredging and just make it a complete fix.”
Vito Figliomeni, executive director of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association, echoed that concern. “The government has been spending millions on dredging exercises when a capital investment could fix the problem permanently,” he told reporters at a news conference. “This is the lifeblood for the local community — it is incredibly important that this money reaches infrastructure to aid commercial fishers.”
Costs Still to Be Determined
Government officials confirmed that the precise cost of the work at both harbours has not yet been established, as the projects have been put out for bids. The final figures will be known once the tendering process is complete.
Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson described the national program as “the largest investment ever made in small craft harbours,” saying it would keep rural and coastal economies “strong and resilient for the long haul.”
London West MP Arielle Kayabaga, who made the local announcement, called the funding “a meaningful investment in the people, livelihoods, and local economies that are the foundation of communities like Wheatley and Erieau.”
