Contracts Awarded For Construction of Search and Rescue Stations in Twillingate and Old Perlican

Photo of Carla Qualtrough

TWILLINGATE & OLD PERLICAN, N.L.

To increase search and rescue capacity, construction is underway on two new search and rescue stations, located in Twillingate and Old Perlican.

These areas were chosen based on identified gaps in the Canadian Coast Guard’s maritime search and rescue capacity, as well as an anticipated increase in vessel traffic.

“The new Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue stations in Twillingate and Old Perlican will improve our ability to respond to marine emergencies and incidents of all kinds in the waters off of Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Jonathan Wilkinson. “These stations, along with coast guard personnel, will make these waters safer for mariners.”
Following open and competitive processes, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), on behalf of the coast guard, awarded four contracts totalling $10.4-million (including taxes) to three Newfoundland and Labrador companies for harbour dredging, demolition and construction.

There will be 16 permanent jobs created with the coast guard once the new stations become operational. The new stations are expected to be completed in the summer of 2019.

“Our government is proud to be investing in new search and rescue facilities for the Canadian Coast Guard,” said Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility Carla Qualtrough. “By awarding these contracts for new Canadian Coast Guard facilities, we are helping create and maintain good jobs in these communities, while supporting the highly trained members of the Canadian Coast Guard and the critical services they provide to Canadians.”

Contracts

Two contracts worth $2.1-million were awarded to Coady Construction & Excavating Limited, of Torbay. The company will dredge the harbours at both the Twillingate and Old Perlican stations and build new marginal wharves.

Traytown Builders Limited, of Traytown, was awarded a $4.4-million contract to demolish a former RCMP building and to construct two new buildings at the new station in Twillingate.

Chimo Construction Limited, of St. John’s, was awarded a $3.8-million contract to construct two new buildings at the new station in Old Perlican.

Under the Oceans Protection Plan, seven new search and rescue stations will be opened in strategic locations in Newfoundland and Labrador and in British Columbia, to improve response capacity to all-hazard marine incidents and increase coverage in order to keep mariners safe and protect the marine environment. There are currently 41 search and rescue lifeboat stations across Canada.

“These stations will provide extremely important safety measures for our harvesters, mariners and marine workers,” said Bonavista—Burin—Trinity MP Churence Rogers. “They will provide more ability for Coast Guard personnel to respond quickly and efficiently when the need arises. These contracts will also provide an economic boost to our province and bring good paying jobs.”

Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame MP Scot Simms noted, “We are delivering on our promise to create good jobs for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and to make our oceans and coasts safer to navigate.”

_{Source: thewesternstar.com}