Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act Implementation
May 2010
Guide to Preparing a Business
Plan Acquiring a Surplus Lighthouse
Business Plan Submission for Acquiring a Surplus Lighthouse
Submission: Original 
Amendment
Petition to Seek Heritage Designation Attached: Yes
No
Date of Submission (DD-MM-YYYY): ________________________
LIGHTHOUSE: Name of Lighthouse: ____________________________________________ Location: _____________________________________________________ Municipality: ___________________________________________________ Province: _____________________________________________________ To be completed if the above-noted lighthouse is located in:
Mode of access to lighthouse (by road, water, or air): ______________________
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ORGANIZATION: Legal Name of Acquiring Organization:__________________________________ Address of Organization:____________________________________ NOTE: If the acquiring organization is a non-profit corporation, please attach written proof of the organization’s non-profit status.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Name (please print): ________________________________________________________ Address:___________________________________ Submission Prepared by (please print): ____________________________________
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Introduction
The new Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act allows for the designation of lighthouses as heritage properties. The Act facilitates the sale or transfer of heritage lighthouses so that they may be available for public purposes.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has declared a number of lighthouses across Canada to be surplus to its operational requirements. The Department has prepared this guide to help private organizations applying for heritage designation to put forward business plans that would facilitate acquisition of surplus lighthouse properties for public use.
Organizations wishing to acquire a lighthouse property for an alternate use need to submit a business plan demonstrating the long-term economic viability of their proposed use and their property management capacity. The purpose of this document is to assist organizations in preparing their business plans.
The Business Plan
A good business plan would identify the challenges the organization expects to face in establishing a new use for the property, as well as the opportunities to be realized.
DFO will provide interested parties with all information relevant to future ownership so that they are able to make an informed decision. This may include:
- financial information,
- reports on environmental conditions and the state of the assets,
- the operational status of the aid to navigation located at the heritage property, and/or
- information regarding property ownership and jurisdictional issues.
Each business plan should contain the elements set out below.
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary should provide a brief overview of the main points in the business plan, in the same order as they appear in the main body of the plan. It should contain enough information for a reader to understand what the organization intends to do and why it expects to succeed. The summary should not introduce any idea or information that is not addressed in the plan itself.
The Organization
This section should illustrate why the organization is well positioned to manage a lighthouse property, who will be involved and in what capacity, and how ongoing management needs will be addressed.
- History: include when the organization was formed and for what purpose.
- Structure: include a list of employees and their positions, and members of the Board of Directors, if applicable; an organizational chart may be included to illustrate the organizational structure.
- Roles and Responsibilities: explain the roles and responsibilities of members of the organization (for example, those of the president, directors and operational staff).
- Professional Advisors: include the names of lawyers, accountants, building consultants, etc. who assist the organization.
- Succession Planning: describe how the organization plans to carry out its operations and meet its goals in the future.
The Opportunity
In this section, the organization should describe how it intends to use the property it wishes to acquire and demonstrate why they believe the use they propose has long-term potential.
Current Status
Although DFO has deemed properties to be surplus, there may be an ongoing need to maintain an active aid to navigation at some sites.
- The organization should indicate its willingness to enter into an agreement with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) in the event an aid is needed.
- If the property has been used by third parties, include details as they may contribute to a better understanding of the property’s future potential.
Plan of Action
Provide a detailed description of the organization’s property use plans once it has assumed ownership. Explain how the site will be financially self-sustaining over the long term.
- If the plan involves conversion to an alternate use or enhancement of an existing use to generate greater revenue, please include:
- evidence that the intended use complies with zoning by-laws and has the support of the appropriate municipal authority;
- sketches and/or floor plans;
- an assessment of how CCG personnel, should they require access, would impact the business or proposed use; and
- an outline of the arrangements that would be made with the CCG should it require access to a navigational aid.
- Comparative cost estimates from one or more licensed contractors should be obtained in support of stated costs of conversion or improvements to the property.
- An outline of potential risks and challenges that may arise and the strategies the organization would adopt to reduce and manage them.
Marketing Strategy
In this section, the organization should explain why it believes its proposed use of the property will work and what it will do to market it to its intended audience.
- Market Analysis: Include any information that will demonstrate the site’s potential to generate enough revenue to offset operating costs. Provide relevant information on the local economy including principal industries. Include information on current and/or potential related tourist activities that already draw visitors to the vicinity. Provide any available details about expected visitors (where they might come from, why, would the site have particular appeal to certain age groups, etc.)
- Location: Provide information about the property’s proximity to nearby towns and cities and the overall population base within a defined radius of the site. Indicate how visitors or clients may have access to the site – by water, land or air.
- Other Considerations: Include other factors that may have an impact on the organization’s marketing strategy such as local competition (from other venues, businesses), tourism industry outlook and trends, and related seasonal factors.
- Promotional Strategy: Outline how the organization will attract visitors or clients to the site. Include information about possible tie-ins to provincial and community marketing campaigns aimed at tourists and residents.
Operations and Maintenance
Explain how the organization will ensure that the property is maintained at an acceptable standard and how designated buildings will be conserved in a manner consistent with the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act conservation standards. This should address:
- structural and operational maintenance for the light tower and related buildings;
- maintaining environmental standards and/or managing environmental liabilities; and
- how the required maintenance personnel will be engaged and at what estimated cost.
Risks and Challenges
Identify all significant risks or challenges the organization may face if its proposal is realized. These should include:
- Market risks: such as the impact of fluctuating interest and exchange rates on cash flow, and the possible impacts of changes in economic conditions.
- Health and Safety Risks: explain environmental or structural concerns relating to the property and building(s).
- Financial Risks: provide an assessment of operational cash flow certainty and stability.
- Other perceived barriers: such as inadequacy of the existing infrastructure (roads or wharves) serving the site, insufficient resources in place to operate the site or finance the proposal, local human resource shortages, access restrictions due to jurisdictional issues, etc.
Financial Assistance from Government and Third Party Sources
- List all funding that has been requested, indicating whether or not approval has been received. Possible funding sources include federal departments or agencies (for example, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), provincial and municipal governments, and other non-governmental organizations.
Financial Information
Five-year financial estimates should be submitted with the proposal, detailing revenue and expense projections, and demonstrating the proposal’s viability. The organization may wish to include a start-up budget, projected net income, projected annual cash flow and a pro-forma balance sheet.
The following revenue and expense categories may be applicable to operation of a site:
| Potential Sources of Revenue | Potential Expenses |
Site admissions |
Taxes Heating/cooling |
Contact Information
Business plans may be sent to:
Andrew Anderson
Long-Term Capital Management Branch
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0E6
Telephone: 613-990-8886
E-mail: Andrew.Anderson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Requests for information related to specific sites may be directed to:
Noelani Taylor
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Pacific Region
Suite 200-410 Burrard Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6C 3S4
Telephone: 604-775-8813
E-mail: Noelani.Taylor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
George Fenn
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Central and Arctic Region
3027 Harvester Road, Unit 506
PO Box 85120
Burlington, Ontario
L7R 4K3
Telephone: 905-639-6139
E-mail: George.Fenn@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Donald Moffet
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Quebec Region
104 Dalhousie Street
Québec, Quebec
G1K 7Y7
Telephone: 418-648-7497
E-mail: Donald.Moffet@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Susan LeBlanc Robichaud
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Gulf Region
343 University Avenue
Moncton, New Brunswick
E1C 9B6
Telephone: 506-851-4934
E-mail: Susan.Leblancrobichaud@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Perry Rideout
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Maritimes Region
PO Box 1000
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 3Z8
Telephone: 902-426-6223
E-mail: Perry.Rideout@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Taryn Dutton
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Newfoundland and Labrador Region
PO Box 5667
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1C 5X1
Telephone: 709-772-0621
E-mail: Taryn.Dutton@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Related Links
The following is a partial list of information sources which may assist in the preparation of a business plan:
Federal Government
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
http://www.acoa.ca/English/ImLookingFor/BusinessTools/Pages/Home.aspx
http://www.acoa.ca/English/ImLookingFor/ProgramInformation/Pages/Home.aspx
ACOA Community Business Development Corporations
http://www.cbdc.ca/programs.php
Government of Canada: Business Canada – Service for Entrepreneurs
http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/
Canadian Coast Guard
http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/ATN_Home
Parks Canada
Heritage Lighthouses of Canada
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/progs/lhn-nhs/pp-hl/index.aspx
Industry Canada
Business Tools and Resources
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/h_00068.html
Financing
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/h_00073.html
Not-For-Profit Organizations
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/h_00076.html
Tourism
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/dsib-tour.nsf/eng/h_qq00000.html
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Directory of federal Real Property
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dfrp-rbif/home-accueil-eng.aspx
Provincial Governments
| Tourism Departments | Industry Departments |
| Social Service Departments | Economic Development Departments |
Municipal Governments
| Economic Affairs | Tourism Departments |
| Grants in Lieu of Taxes |
Non-Government
| Heritage Preservation Foundations | Heritage Preservation Associations |
| Chambers of Commerce | Historical Societies |
| Local Business Development Associations | Lighthouse Preservation Societies |
