Tobermory (Little Tub) Harbour – North and West Wall Rehabilitation – Public Comments Invited

March 27, 2020 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada must determine whether the proposed Tobermory – North and West Wall Rehabilitation project, located in Tobermory, ON is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
 

To help inform this determination, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

Written comments must be submitted by April 26, 2020 to:
Julie Yusek
867 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, ON, L7S1A1
905-315-5282
julie.yusek@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

The Proposed Project

Tobermory is located at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, 100 km north of Owen Sound. The Little Hub Harbour is located on Bay Street, just east of Highway 6.

The West Wall, originally constructed in 1936, consists of steel sheet piles secured with tie rods connected to a concrete deadman. Overall, the wall is approximately 60 metres long however there is a 8 m wide launch ramp near the north end. The wall provides access to three floating docks (two for boats, one for the launch ramp access). Inspections have shown corrosion and scaling along the splash zone, as well as depressions in the asphalt and interlocking pavers behind the wall. Areas of settlement are most likely due to cuts and/or holes made along the outpan of the wall above the splash zone.

The North Wall was originally constructed in 1954 with stone-filled timber cribs supporting a timber deck. The timber deck and stringers were replaced in 1967 and were further repaired in 1986. The North Wharf is approximately 91.2 metres long and continues from Sta. 0+148 to Sta. 0+240. In 2010, a 4.2 metre wide, L-shaped concrete superstructure was installed on top of the timber crib. Helical Piles were installed to secure the North Basin timber wharf substructure in 2010. Recent inspections indicate further timber crib miss-alignment may have occurred at the North Basin Wall.

Accordingly, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is planning to undertake a project at the Tobermory (Little Tub) Harbour to rehabilitate the North and West Walls to maintain the integrity of this infrastructure used for both recreation and tourism. Rehabilitation of the walls will involve encapsulating the existing walls with a new sheet pile wall, as well as, new ladders, fenders, and decking surface. The existing launch ramp will remain.