Marc Gregoire has started his final round of meetings in a wide-ranging review of Canadian pilotage.
Gregoire, a former commissioner at the Canadian Coast Guard and assistant deputy minister of safety and security at Transport Canada, has begun discussing his recommendations with stakeholders.
Criticism has been levelled at the way pilotage is organised in the St Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes. Cost and the impact of pilotage being a monopoly have come under fire.
Gregoire’s recommendations are being kept under wraps for the time being.
A meeting this week was held in Vancouver and others are planned in Montreal, Halifax and Toronto, the last on 22 March.
Gregoire was appointed by the government to review Canada’s Pilotage Act and it is understood he will submit his final report to Minister of Transport Marc Garneau by the end of April.
But TradeWinds is told that stakeholders will not see the report until some time in May.
The minister will then decide whether or not to proceed with any or all of the recommendations. Any changes to the Pilotage Act would require approval by the Canadian government.
A source close to the discussions told TradeWinds: “There is still a long road ahead. However, we believe the chair has listened to all of the stakeholders and will propose some interesting changes.”
Currently, pilotage fees can cost shipowners tens of thousands of dollars.
