Minister announces small craft harbour improvement projects on the Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador
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FORTUNE, NL, Aug. 1, 2026 /CNW/ -- Small craft harbours are critical for coastal and rural communities, supporting fishing and transportation and serving as the foundation to the local economies built around them. Canada's commercial fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood processing sectors support nearly 65,000 jobs -- including more than 42,900 commercial fish harvesters -- from coast to coast to coast. In 2025, Canada's fish and seafood exports totaled $8.47 billion, approximately $1.75 billion of that from Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Spring Economic Update 2026 included nearly $1 billion in investments the next five years to repair, maintain and modernize Canada's small craft harbours. This new economic investment will help build a climate-resilient, safe and modern harbour network across the country.
As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to build Canada Strong for All, today, the Honourable Joanne Thompson, Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Member of Parliament for St. John's East announced funding to support the repair and reconstruction of the breakwater at the small craft harbour in Fortune, as well as dredging of the harbour basin at the small craft harbour in Burin, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The project in Fortune will strengthen and improve the breakwater at the entrance to Fortune Harbour, enhancing its long-term resilience and helping protect the vital transportation and economic hub that supports local fisheries, the ferry service to St. Pierre et Miquelon, France, and other marine activities. The upgraded breakwater will also help the harbour better withstand severe weather, high wave conditions, and other marine and coastal pressures. By reducing wave action and creating calmer, safer waters within the harbour, the reconstructed breakwater will help protect vessels and harbour infrastructure, support the continued operation of ferry services and marine facilities, and ensure safer navigation and berthing for commercial and recreational users. This project is anticipated to start in 2027.
The project in Burin will restore safe navigational depths within the harbour basin by dredging accumulated sediment, helping to ensure commercial fishing vessels can continue to safely and efficiently access the harbour. Maintaining reliable access to the harbour will support harvesters in landing their catches, improve the safe movement of vessels, and help ensure the harbour continues to provide the essential infrastructure that supports the local fishing industry. This project is expected to be completed in 2027.
As key assets for the fishing industry and the coastal communities they serve, these harbours play an important role in supporting economic activity, connectivity and safety. Through investments in essential harbour infrastructure in Fortune and Burin, the Government of Canada is helping ensure harbours remain safe, reliable and resilient for the people and industries that depend on them.
Quotes
"These investments for Fortune and Burin small craft harbours are important for the region as a whole. These projects enhance safety, improve operational capacity, and help secure the future of essential harbours that support local communities. Our government is proud to invest in infrastructure that not only meets today's needs but also lays the foundation for prosperity and resilience for decades to come."
The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries
Quick Facts
- The Spring Economic Update 2026 funding represents an increase of more than 35 per cent per year over the 10-year average, the largest sustained investment in over a decade, and provides needed stability in funding for repairs.
- This almost $1 billion in new funding is in addition to annual ongoing funding from Fisheries and Oceans Canada of approximately $90 million a year.
- The funding will support harbour maintenance and repair across Canada, including ongoing Hurricane Fiona recovery work in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec begun under the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund and Budget 2024.
- Through the Small Craft Harbours Program, Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages close to 950 harbours valued at approximately $7.1 billion -- infrastructure that lands and supports roughly 90 per cent of Canada's fish harvest and underpins the country's seafood economy.
- Small craft harbours support more than 45,000 jobs in the fish and seafood industry, with thousands more in shipbuilding, processing, tourism, and the supply chains that keep rural and coastal communities running.
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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada
Contacts: Ira Khedkar, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]
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