Point of Privilege Resolution No. 2-06M

WHEREAS, Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have created stringent requirements that municipalities must comply with when doing any work in or around any type of water body which is or is suspected of being fish bearing and/or navigable by a canoe; and 

WHEREAS, these requirements result in very significant road maintenance and construction cost increases which municipalities are then responsible for; 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that as these costs are federally mandated that SARM lobby the Federal Government to cover the additional costs inflicted by Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on our municipalities; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that SARM request the Provincial Government’s assistance with this lobby.

Response from Honourable Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities: 

Thank you for your correspondence of November 27, 2006, in which you informed me of a resolution adopted by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities pertaining to the costs associated with adhering to the requirements of the Navigable Waters Protection Program (NWPP). 

The NWPP regulates the construction of works built or placed in, over, through or across navigable waterways.  The NWPP fall under the Navigable Waters Protection Act, which is a federal statute designed to protect the public right of navigation and to facilitate safe and shared use of Canada’s waterways.  It is important to note that the NWPP does not regulate road construction or maintenance; therefore, the federal government, representing the interests of Canadian taxpayers, should not be responsible for the costs associated with such work.