Saanich Coun. Judy Brownoff will put two motions on derelict vessels before Saanich council tonight in the hopes of all Canadian municipalities pushing the newly elected Liberal government to act.
“We need to work with all levels to finally deal with this issue in partnership,” Brownoff said.
Brownoff said municipalities must increase pressure on the federal and provincial governments to remove derelict vessels that risk contaminating Canada’s coastal communities and will push that issue at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in June.
Tonight, Brownoff will table a motion asking the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities, Union of British Columbia Municipalities, and Federation of Canadian Municipalities to urge the federal and provincial governments to establish funding through fees from vessel purchases, registration, insurance and moorage, for example, to fund an “abandoned and derelict vessel program” as recommended in a 2012 Transport Canada study.
Brownoff explains in her report there are various federal, provincial and municipal government departments and agencies dealing with some aspect of the issue of abandoned and derelict vessels and that a co-ordinated, inter-governmental approach is needed.
As well, the removal of a single vessel is a complex task and the cost can be significant, Brownoff said. Saanich incurred additional costs of $25,000 from two boats requiring removal from the Gorge Waterway and from Gyro Park, including the cleanup of needles that landed on the shores of Gyro Park Beach, the report to council explains.
So far this season, Brownoff says Saanich has spent a total of $50,000 on the issue, not including staff time.
Brownoff’s motion would also establish an end of life vessel disposal program to plan for the disposal of vessels coming to the end of their lifespan. A 2012 Transport Canada study that showed a majority of large and small vessels are 30 years or more “a risk waiting to happen.” Some of these vessels end up sinking.
The sustainable program should protect the environment, including appropriate facilities and coordination with local landfills and private sector for proper disposal methods, says the motion.
Brownoff’s motions come on the heels of Bill C-219 — introduced in the House of Commons for first reading on Feb.4 by Nanaimo-Ladysmith NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson — to make the Coast Guard the recipient of these wrecks for the purposes of the Canada Shipping Act. It would also compel the government to create regulations for the removal, disposition or destruction of abandoned vessels or wrecks.
“For too long, responsibility for abandoned vessels and the risks they represent has been shuffled from one government department to the next, with no senior government taking responsibility,” Malcolmson said.
The bill continues the efforts of former Nanaimo-Cowichan NDP MP Jean Crowder who tried to tried to protect Canada’s harbours and waterways from the contamination and debris from derelict vessels.
“Our waterways, coasts and harbours are economic drivers and part of the fabric of our country and yet it can currently take years to remove or destroy an abandoned vessel,” Malcolmson said.
Municipalities in B.C. have been calling for action for a decade, she said.
“It’s gone nowhere in resolving the problem and it’s extremely frustrating,” Malcolmson said.
The Nanaimo-Ladysmith NDP MP appealing to the new Liberal government to tackle the issue, including related concerns Canada’s aging fleet and the lack of recycling facilities for fiberglass.
In regards to the push from local government, Brownoff wants the matter discussed at the 2016 Convention of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities in April and brought forward to the country-wide meeting in June.
The B.C. government says it supports efforts toward a streamlined regulatory approach and that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations developed a guidance paper to clarify the roles of federal, provincial and local authorities in addressing derelict vessels.
Vessels are left abandoned by owners throughout B.C.’s coastal communities for lack of care or money. The abandoned vessels are cause for concern for public safety and the environment.
