Heritage lighthouses

With the world’s longest coastline and more lakes than the rest of the world combined, Canada is also home to approximately 250 traditional lighthouses in federal custody. The federal government has transferred over 70 heritage lighthouses to individuals, community groups, and municipalities. The new owners conserve these important heritage sites for the benefit of all Canadians. Learn about the different kinds of lighthouses across Canada and their many roles.

Types of lighthouses

Lighthouses range greatly in size, structure, and setting. Some unique examples of these icons of maritime history include:

Boat Bluff Lighthouse, a skeletal tower looming on the edge of a Pacific Coast rainforest
Cove Island Light, a towering lighthouse built of white limestone in a perilous strait between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay
Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse, an immense concrete tower with flying buttresses, standing at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River
Cape Spear Lighthouse, a wood-frame structure with an octagonal tower, perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic at North America’s easternmost point

Lighthouses are found in every Canadian province, except Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Canada’s lighthouse history

The first lighthouse in Canada was built in Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, in 1734. After Confederation in 1867, Canada built a vast network of lighthouses to mark the sea routes essential to maritime safety and trade.

By the early 1970s, the technological development of automated lightstation equipment made it possible for lights and fog signals to operate with only occasional human attention. By the 1990s, all aids to navigation at Canadian lightstations have been automated. DFO continues to operate modern aids to navigation on lighthouse properties.

Traditional lighthouses are still a big part of Canada’s identity, culture, and landscape. The Government of Canada has designated over 100 lighthouses under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act and many have been transferred to new owners all across Canada. This special status recognizes the beauty and historic importance of heritage lighthouses to Canadian communities.

Protecting surplus lighthouses

When traditional lighthouses are no longer in use, efforts are made to transfer them to provinces, municipalities, Indigenous, or non-profit groups that want to make the most of the heritage value and tourism potential of these sites. Interested acquirers of surplus lighthouses must fulfill certain requirements to become the new owners, and commit to maintaining the heritage character of the site.

If a lighthouse has been nominated under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, it must also be evaluated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada who advises the Minister responsible for Parks Canada to determine if it should be designated as a heritage asset. If the lighthouse receives a designation as a heritage lighthouse, the acquirer must agree to maintain its heritage character intact as a condition of the transfer of custodial responsibilities. For more information about the designation process, please visit the Heritage lighthouses in Canada page.

The Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act protects Canada’s cultural heritage even after a transfer to a new owner. New owners or custodians of these properties must care for and responsibly manage them by following the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. Restorations of heritage lighthouses must be consistent with national standards of conservation.

Each petitioned lighthouse is evaluated under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act when it leaves federal inventory. Generally, the public continues to have access to these sites because most surplus lighthouses are transferred to:

provinces
townships
non-profits
municipalities
Indigenous groups

Based on the plan for intended use, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada:

evaluates the historical, architectural and community value of the nominated lighthouse
recommends whether to transfer the lighthouse to new owners and designate the property as a heritage site

On some heritage lighthouse sites, the Government of Canada continues to operate aids to navigation. The new owners must allow the government to continue to operate and maintain the navigational equipment.

Acquiring a lighthouse

On average, a lighthouse acquisition takes between 3 and 5 years. Fisheries and Oceans Canada must complete numerous steps, including the designation process, Indigenous consultations, circulation with other levels of government, obtaining a legal survey and market valuation, completing environmental remediation as required, and other administrative steps to adhere to the policy. This process can be lengthy and may result in the transfer of the asset to another entity, depending on the results of the required consultation.

The government must consider various aspects of the transaction before transferring ownership of a lighthouse. Maintaining public access is a main consideration.

Contact us

For more information, contact Fisheries and Oceans Canada at info@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

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