The Atlantic Pilotage Authority Canada () is a

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

that enforces

pilotage Piloting or pilotage is the process of navigating on water or in the air using fixed points of reference on the sea or on land, usually with reference to a nautical chart or aeronautical chart to obtain a fix of the position of the vessel or air ...

in Atlantic

Canadian Internal Waters In Canadian law, Canadian Internal Waters are the waters "on the landward side of the baselines of the territorial sea of Canada". Definition The baselines are defined as "the low-water line along the coast or on a low-tide elevation that is situ ...

. It was established as a result of recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Pilotage in Canada, by the ''Pilotage Act'', Section 18, on February 1, 1972 mandated to assist in

in all Canadian waters in and around the provinces of

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

Pilotage incidents

At the time of the

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with Explosive material, high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastat ...

in 1917, both the SS ''Imo'' and the SS ''Mont-Blanc'' were being guided by professional pilots. On July 10, 2010, a French research ship, ''

Fulmar The fulmars are tube-nosed seabirds in the family Procellariidae. The family includes two extant species, and two extinct fossil species from the Miocene. Fulmars superficially resemble gulls, but are readily distinguished by their flight on s ...

'', operated in Halifax harbour (where pilotage is mandatory) without a pilot, and reportedly came "frighteningly close" to two other ships.

Auditor general review

In 2016, the

Auditor General of Canada The Auditor General of Canada (French: La vérificatrice générale du Canada) is a Supreme audit institution which acts as an officer to the Parliament of Canada tasked with highlighting accountability and oversight by conducting independent f ...

panned the authority, criticizing it for economic losses driven by artificially low pilotage rates, failed upkeep of corporate systems, lack of strategic planning, and issues with conflict of interest. The report was reviewed by the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

References

External links

* Canadian federal Crown corporations Transport companies established in 1972 Water transport in New Brunswick Water transport in Newfoundland and Labrador Water transport in Nova Scotia Water transport in Prince Edward Island 1972 establishments in Nova Scotia {{Canada-gov-stub