Its taken more than 10 years of hard work by various politicians in Ottawa, but finally a bill to protect historic lighthouses is about to become law.
Bruce Grey Owen Sound MP Larry Miller was the sponsor of the bill in the Commons and says he is thrilled that it now has been passed by the Senate.
The bill, once it receives Royal Assent will make it easier for groups to acquire and preserve lighthouses from the Federal Government.
Miller says the bill will allow communities to petition Ottawa to designate lighthouses as heritage sites that must be preserved.
It requires public consultation before any changes are made to beacons designated as heritage lighthouses and will force Ottawa to notify the public before they are transferred, sold or razed.
Miller as it now stands, its up the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to decide whether or not a lighthouse should be protected, and he says this new legislation now will make it more difficult to let historic lighthouses fall into disrepair.
He says a perfect example is the historic light house on Griffith Island in Georgian Bay where the keepers house has almost collapsed because of neglect by the Fisheries Department.
Miller says before any group gained control of a light house, they would have to present a firm action plan to the government and actually begin work on the structure.
He says he expects that money would be made available to help preserve these structures.
