Posted by Michel Sastre (Ottawa) on 05 July 2011
Dear Senators,
I read with interest the report of the Senate on the above subject.
Having sailed for several years aboard the fleet of Canadian icebreakers (Canadian Coast Guard) and for three seal-hunting seasons out of Carbonear NL, I agree with the statement by Senator Dennis Patterson: “An advisory panel would help identify a ‘heritage pool’ of lighthouses, among the federally owned lighthouses, which will most likely generate interest for restoration and preservation activities,” ..... “The panel would also prioritize and evaluate the heritage lighthouses and qualifying recipient groups who would receive funds from Canadian Heritage Foundation fundraising efforts.”
It is a fact of life that all our lighthouses are not equal but, as long as a knowledgeable Panel would consider the heritage as well as the marketing value of those lighthouses under scrutiny, I believe that those of significance in the growth of Canada should be preserved, whether they are located on either coast or in the Great Lakes. Those in the arctic, unfortunately, are not likely to generate much return. However, we should perhaps consider a virtual museum where most of the lighthouses still standing would be pictured and its history related. The cost would be minimal.