Federal eyes are on the shuttered dock at Silver Islet, but as of right now the structure’s future remains in limbo.
Officials with Parks Canada, Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, Fisheries and Oceans Canada as well as representatives from Minister Patty Hajdu’s office and more travelled to Silver Islet Thursday to visit its battered dock on the Sibley Penninsula.
The dock closed after it was deemed unfit for use.
Despite its closure, many still use the dock because they have no other choice.
Silver Islet harbour master Scott Atkinson said from his understanding officials with the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans hope to divest the Silver Islet dock off to Parks Canada.
“Parks Canada is not in the exact position yet, as far as what I could tell yesterday, to grab that process right now,” Atkinson said Friday.
“They are doing an access analysis for the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, and Silver Islet is one of the areas they were looking at.”
The access analysis is expected to be complete by early spring 2017.
Atkinson said Parks Canada would need to have the analysis done in order for them to take information back to the office as the dock will cost an estimated more than $2 million to fix.
“The unfortunate thing is that the dock has been neglected for so long,” he said.
“It’s been closed right off and you can’t even use it for emergency situation stuff – it’s unfortunate that it was neglected that long and that it has got to the state where it had to be closed down.”
He added that if Parks Canada does take over the dock than the money would be a lot easier to obtain from Fisheries and Oceans to have the dock repaired.
But the determination of whether or not the project is feasible enough for Parks Canada to take on is described as a lengthy process.
“It would be nice to see an act of interest to get some of this fixed up down there,” Atkinson said.
“It’s not only that it’s for tourism and employment for the area because there are people who could be hired to run they dock and run parking and whatever else.”
