Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to the Future 1 | Come Take a Voyage
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Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to the Future 1 | Come Take a Voyage Over the centuries, the mighty St. Lawrence has fostered the creation of a vast world. We invite you to discover it, one page at a time. Echo of the Past, Path to Future Let this pamphlet be your compass on a voyage to explore the many facets of commercial shipping and recreational boating on the St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence is a universe in itself. It is the main axis of a 3,700-kilometre waterway stretching from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean and draining a quarter of the world’s fresh water. The river flows nearly 1,200 kilometres from Kingston, in Eastern Ontario, through Quebec. The river has three main segments. Navigation on the St. Lawrence Navigation on the St. Lawrence It begins with the fluvial section that Come Take a Voyage Come Take originates in the Great Lakes. From | II there, it flows into the world’s largest 1 estuary (400 kilometres at the mouth), which begins modestly at the eastern tip of Île d’Orléans, where saltwater meets agreement to foster the conservation and fresh. The estuary extends to Pointe- enhancement of the St. Lawrence River. 1. Sustainable Navigation des-Monts, on the North Shore, where Strategy for the it finally transforms into an immense The NCC is composed of approximately St. Lawrence. 2004– 2011 Report Action gulf that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. 20 members from various departments Plan 2011–2026. of the governments of Canada and Echo of the Past, Path to Future This document on navigation is Quebec, commercial shipping and the outcome of a project initiated recreational boating representatives, by the Navigation Coordination environmental groups and members Committee (NCC). It is one of the of various organizations related to tangible deliverables of the action plan navigation and the environment. The for the Sustainable Navigation Strategy NCC promotes sustainable commercial for the St. Lawrence, originally issued and recreational navigation, meaning in 2004 and updated in 2014.1 Overall, navigation that meets economic, this strategy is aimed at adapting the environmental and social sustainability management practices of commercial objectives; ensures sound short- and and recreational navigation stakeholders long-term protection of ecosystems and to the St. Lawrence’s environmental the quality of human life; and operates in (reduction of impacts), economic harmony with navigational development. (promotion of marine transport) and social The Committee has come up with Navigation on the St. Lawrence Navigation on the St. Lawrence (harmonization of uses) sustainability several concrete initiatives, including the Come Take a Voyage Come Take imperatives. The NCC was officially voluntary reduction of vessel speeds in | 1 established during Phase III of the some segments of the waterway and 1 St. Lawrence Action Plan (1998-2003). the establishment of the St. Lawrence The Action Plan is a Canada-Quebec Dredging Activities Planning Registry. 2 | The St. Lawrence, The St. Lawrence Estuary has been Then and Now inhabited by sailing and fishing families for over three centuries. Old shoreline Close to 80% of Quebec’s population parishes are still home to families of boat lives near the St. Lawrence River. This builders, shipowners and navigators, physical proximity has played a key role who make their living fishing and in the area’s occupation. Well before transporting goods and passengers. the Europeans arrived, the river played an essential economic role for Native Coasting, or domestic marine shipping, American populations, who used it for has long been the main means of fishing, farming its watershed lands transportation between villages along and transportation. It was through its the St. Lawrence River. Travellers, food shores and tributaries that European supplies, animals, timber and other goods settlers explored and colonized the were all transported in this way. Post-1850 continental interior. As docks gradually railway expansion and 20th century evolved into ports and sometimes, road infrastructure improvements villages into cities, the scene was nearly put an end to coasting. It almost being set for a new civilization. disappeared in the 1970s, until its cost price and energy performance made it popular again in the early 2000s. Today, Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to Future Navigation on the St. Lawrence about 20% of commercial traffic on the The St. Lawrence, Then and Now The St. Lawrence, 2 St. Lawrence consists of coasting. | 2 2 The St. Lawrence is now at the heart of a dynamic national and international Vignette 3. See the Musée maritime marine industry. Its uses are endless: du Québec website at supplying drinking water, transporting The mission of the Musée maritime du http://www.mmq.qc.ca. people and goods, opening up Québec is to preserve the heritage of isolated and remote communities, St. Lawrence mariners. Its extensive water recreation, tourism and more. collection includes all types of artifacts: an old boathouse (a boat building workshop) where visitors can admire models of traditional vessels, two museum ships, archives and a large reserve of scale models depicting various boats. The Museum is in L’Islet, a small town founded in 1677, and honours the memory of the most famous son of this part of the country, the great Captain Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (1852-1934).3 Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to Future Navigation on the St. Lawrence The St. Lawrence, Then and Now The St. Lawrence, | 3 2 2. Étude de l’impact économique de l’industrie maritime au Québec, 2012 [Québec Marine Industry Economic Impact Study, 2012]. 3 | Navigation: the Heart of Commercial, tourist and recreational a Strong Economy navigation on the St. Lawrence all contribute significantly to the economic Open year-round to navigation, the development of Quebec and its St. Lawrence River downstream from regions. In 2015, close to 25,000 direct Montréal is a vital trade corridor on which jobs were linked to Quebec’s marine millions of consumers and thousands of economy. The marine industry is businesses depend. The St. Lawrence important to the economy of Quebec: Seaway extends to the heart of the it includes about 370 businesses, North American continent and is the contributes approximately 2.3 billion shortest route between Europe and the dollars to Quebec’s gross domestic North American heartland, two of the product and generates about world’s most heavily industrialized areas. 680 million in tax revenues for the In Quebec, the commercial port system federal and provincial governments.5 connects to rail and road networks, which enables it to reach a North American The industry’s importance is not market of over 135 million people within surprising given the many advantages a 1,000-kilometre radius of Montréal.4 and benefits of marine transportation. Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to Future Navigation on the St. Lawrence Navigation: the Heart of a Strong Economy Navigation: the Heart of a Strong | 4 3 4. The Quebec Maritime Strategy, 2015, page 5. 5. Étude de l’impact économique de l’industrie maritime au Québec, 2012 ["Québec Marine Industry Economic Impact Study, 2012"]. 6. SODES, http://www. st-laurent.org/bim/en/ get-to-know-the-marine- industry/environment/ Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to Future Navigation on the St. Lawrence Navigation: the Heart of a Strong Economy Navigation: the Heart of a Strong | 5 3 6 A Multi-faceted Activity Shipowners Shipowners are carriers that engage in Port Activities commercial shipping on rivers, lakes Commercial ports are essential to and oceans. The fleets they operate economic growth and job creation in on the St. Lawrence include all types Quebec. The St. Lawrence has about of craft: cargo ships (containers, twenty commercial ports categorized Ro-Ro ships, bulk carriers and tankers), by technical factors (port infrastructure, tugs, barges, trawlers and others. road and rail access, depth, etc.), The Shipping Federation of Canada, economic factors (traffic value and (which advocates on behalf of shipowners type, zone of influence) and financial and international trade shipping agents) factors (self-sufficiency). To give an and St. Lawrence Shipoperators example of major port activities, the (an association that represents Canadian Montréal Port Authority leases its shipowners and associated members) transshipment facilities to private are two organizations that promote stevedoring companies, and operates marine transportation and represent its own passenger terminal and a railway their members in dealings with several network spanning over 100 kilometres. authorities to ensure that the marine industry fully contributes to the economy and supports the development of Navigation on the St. Lawrence Echo of the Past, Path to Future Navigation on the St. Lawrence marine transportation in Canada. Navigation: the Heart of a Strong Economy Navigation: the Heart of a Strong | 6 3 Every year, commercial ships transport Fishing on the St. Lawrence about 110 million tonnes of goods The estimated value of commercial fishing 7. MAPAQ, http://www. through St. Lawrence terminals. The on the St. Lawrence is $200 million.7 mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/ average number of ships travelling on It is the economic heart of many small fr/Peche/Peche/ Pages/Peche.aspx the St. Lawrence River is a dozen per communities for which sustainable day or 5,000 per year. In comparison, resource management is critical. 8. "La pêche commerciale" an average of 9,000 ships travel on the Cod has long been the choice catch ["Commercial Fishing"], Rhine in Europe per year. In Asia, nine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but deeply SODES and the Ministère des Transports du Québec ships travel on the Yangtze every hour, declining stocks in the 1990s prompted website (http://www.