The federal government announced the completion of rehabilitation work on the Port Dalhousie Piers in St. Catharines on June 2.

Work on the project has been ongoing since 2019, and included encapsulating the existing piers with new steel sheet pilings, and installing rock berms at the outer ends of the piers.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) closed the piers in 2015 due to safety concerns. At the time, the department had been working with the City of St. Catharines to rehabilitate the structures and examine their long-term use. Since 1990, and prior to the closure, the DFO had spent nearly $2 million at Port Dalhousie, including about $1.5 million between 1992 and 1994 to address structural deficiencies.

In 2019, DFO awarded a contract worth more than $26 million for repairs to the piers to Oakville’s Bronte Construction. The scope of work involved rehabilitating the east and west piers, the Lakeside Park wharf, the southwest wall in front of the former Royal Canadian Legion, and the southeast wall south of the Port Dalhousie Yacht Club building.

The majority of the structures were encapsulated with a new steel sheet pile structure, while some sections at the outer end of the piers and the southeast wall structure were rehabilitated with a rock berm.

“The reopening of the Port Dalhousie piers is an exciting milestone,” said St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik. “This is a critical investment in recreational outdoor infrastructure and shoreline protection efforts that are crucial as we adapt to a changing climate. The piers will help maintain Port Dalhousie as a waterfront destination for residents and visitors over the next century of these iconic landmarks’ history.”

With the repair work now complete, DFO will transfer ownership of Port Dalhousie Piers and Harbour to the City of St. Catharines. The federal department is taking a more active role in divesting itself of recreational and low-activity harbours across Canada to third parties that are in better positions to operate them effectively and respond to the needs of the local residents and economy. The Port Dalhousie Small Craft Harbour fits those criteria.

DFO supports nearly 1,000 harbours across the country.