Dredged Debris Pile On Grand Manan Is Affecting Tourism And Lives Of Locals

Summer has come and almost gone on Grand Manan Island, and picturesque North Head Harbour should have been bustling with tourist activity, but a pile of rubble and dredged debris has been obstructing the once stunning view of the wharf and harbour from the deck of Post Office Pizza for--not one--but two summer seasons. Local resident June Greenlaw still comes to get her favourite pizza but misses seeing the boats go by.

"Now when I come, I sit with my back to the water and the wharf and the bay because there's nothing to see except the rock pile," says Greenlaw.

Greenfield Construction of Miramichi was awarded a $15.8 million contract from the federal government in 2021 to dredge the harbour basin and build a new marginal wharf and boat ramp to benefit the local fishing industry. This project was supposed to have been finished at the end of January 2023. The delays in the project are impacting local tourism as well as the lives of locals. Kiera Dall'Osto who owns Old Well House Cafe said her once busy deck hasn't been the same.

"What we have is a view, that is what we have," says Dall'Osto. "We're the only kind of place that is right on the water that you can get. We've got a liquor licence. This is only our sixth year and the last two summers have been this. So not only I can't even just forget about it because everybody who comes comments on it, right? So the conversations constantly, you can't even kind of move on from there. And we're just lucky that we have had a good enough name in the first few years that people do see people sitting on the deck, but we don't get those people that drive by and then just like oh, we don't feel like anything, but look at that. Let's go have a drink and sit and look at that view."

Aside from project delays, Greenfield Construction has also raised concerns due to its connection to Atcon. Greenfield Construction is led by Carolyn Tozer, the daughter of Robbie Tozer, the former CEO of Atcon. Greenfield Construction was founded in April 2010, around the same time when most of Robbie Tozer's Atcon group of companies, which had received $50 million in loan guarantees from the New Brunswick government in 2009, were going through bankruptcy proceedings. The province had to cover the loan guarantees when Atcon faced financial difficulties.

John Williamson, the Conservative Member of Parliament representing New Brunswick Southwest, says the ties to Atcon are concerning and that he's never seen a more poorly executed project since he's been in office. He estimates there are at least 35,000 tonnes of debris at North Head and says he plans to table in the House a local petition with more than 300 signatures from islanders demanding action from the federal government.

"Now one of two things has happened here. Either the construction company is flouting the contract to remove that dredged debris or the government of Canada made a huge mistake and didn't include that in the contract," says Williamson. "I'm going to Parliament to find out what's happening, who's responsible and who's on the line. If the government of Canada didn't include it, they're on the hook now for millions of dollars. If the company isn't fulfilling its end of the contract, the government of Canada needs to enforce the contract and get that company to get that dredged material off Grand Manan into a facility that can properly store and deal with material like that which is toxic."

CHCO reached out to Greenfield Construction for a comment and our emails have not been responded to by the company. When CHCO reached out to the federal government, the Department of fisheries and Oceans deferred to Public Services and Procurement Canada, insisting that they are the federal lead on that project. In a statement to CHCO, Helena Sergakis, the regional communications manager for Public Services and Procurement Canada said:

"Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has advanced the work and is aware of delays with the projected timelines for completion of this work at North Head in Grand Manan. The department understands the concerns that community members have expressed over the delays. PSPC and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are actively working with the contractor to resolve issues and ensure that the required work can be completed as quickly as possible."

CHCO followed up with Public Services to ask if the federal government's contract with Greenfield Construction required the contractor to remove the dredged debris pile from island and if the pile is noxious in nature. Their spokesperson said they could not answer our questions this week but aimed to have answers for us in the days ahead.

Grand Manan Mayor Bonnie Morse says for months the village has been willing to help the contractor dispose of some of the material. 

"The village was approached by the contractor to take some of the material at our construction and demolition site," says Mayor Morse. "We have been working with the Department of Environment to receive approval because obviously they have to provide the authorization to take that material. We're really waiting on the federal government and the contractor to tell us what's going on and where this is going to go. But it has been a long time. This project has been going on, and it's time for a resolution."

CHCO will continue to follow this story.