The federal government’s announcement of the first part of a plan to tackle derelict and abandoned vessels is being welcomed by those concerned about the long-simmering issue, but also has them hoping for more.
The May 31 announcement outlined Transport Canada’s Abandoned Boats Program and a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) program aimed at dealing with problem vessels at DFO’s commercial fishing harbours.
Under the Abandoned Boats Program, provincial and local governments as well as Indigenous groups can apply for a share of $5.6 million over the next five years to assess, remove and dispose of abandoned vessels.
Private marinas and other organizations are also eligible, but Transport Canada is giving priority to the three main groups. The program will cover all of the cost of assessments, and 75 per cent of the cost of removal and disposal.
As well, $1.3 million will be available through DFO for similar work by harbour authorities dealing with abandoned and wrecked vessels located in small craft harbours.
The federal government will also put aside $1.25 million over the next five years for “education, awareness and research” projects. Research projects can get full funding, but the cost-sharing formula for education and awareness is only 75 per cent.
At least two boats have sunk in Porpoise Bay at the head of Sechelt Inlet in recent months and the District of Sechelt has been looking at ways to address problem vessels in the Bay.
Mayor Bruce Milne calls the Transport Canada and DFO programs a “very good first step” and said it’s the most action the municipality has seen on the abandoned and derelict vessels file in the past decade.
Milne said he thinks the assessment and removal program has promise, and district staff are looking into the details to see how it can be applied to the situation in Sechelt Inlet. He also said he’d like to have seen the federal government commit to fully funding education and awareness efforts.
“As this issue is entirely within their jurisdiction, I am not sure why they think other parties should shoulder 25 per cent [of the cost] of educating boat owners on responsible behaviour,” Milne wrote in an email to Coast Reporter.
Ian Winn, the Sunshine Coast Regional District director for West Howe Sound and outspoken advocate for action on derelict and abandoned vessels, also welcomed the announcement as “fantastic news and long overdue.”
“Although the amount of $5.6 [million] over five years for assessment and removal projects may seem like a substantial amount, the reality will soon be obvious that it’s not enough to deal with the scope of the problem from coast to coast to coast,” Winn said, adding that he’d like to see a program that goes beyond the five-year window.
Winn also said issues around abandoned and derelict docks, floats, boathouses or “large pieces of polystyrene rigid foam material that pose hazards to navigation and are also environmental disasters” seem to have been left out of the recently announced program. A resolution from the Islands Trust calling for provincial and federal measures to prevent rigid foam pollution in the marine environment is expected to come forward at the Union of BC Municipalities AGM in September.
In an interview before the May 31 announcement, MP Pam Goldsmith-Jones said it has taken time to coordinate the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan announced last year across several ministries. “The Oceans Protection Plan integrated many things that had to go through a Treasury Board process, which it has now,” Goldsmith-Jones said.
She also said the government has to take into account the different situations in B.C. and Atlantic Canada.
“The East Coast is quite different from the West Coast,” Goldsmith-Jones said. “Often, it’s two completely different challenges and we have to be equitable to both [regions].”
Goldsmith-Jones also praised the work of New Democrat MP Sheila Malcolmson of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, who has a private member’s bill in front of Parliament and tabled a petition last month urging federal action.
“I appreciate her leadership on that,” said Gold-smith-Jones. “She’s stuck with it.”
For her part, Mal-colmson continues to be critical of the government’s slow pace. “After missing their own deadline, the Liberals unveiled a rudderless plan that simply cannot address the thousands of vessels abandoned on our coasts,” said Malcolmson in response to the announcement.
“The Liberal plan lacks any measures to improve vessel registration, build a vessel turn-in program, get taxpayers off the hook for cleanups, or support local marine salvage businesses. Additionally, the lack of resources included in the plan is dwarfed by what’s required for vessel removal. The cost of removing just one vessel in Ladysmith was more than the annual budget for vessel removal. It’s a drop in the bucket.”
Malcolmson’s private member’s bill, C-219, and its enhanced version, C-352, won’t come up for debate until October. The package includes putting the Coast Guard in charge of removing abandoned vessels, a new registration program, a pilot project for turning in unwanted vessels, and a salvage and recycling program.
The Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities endorsed Malcolmson’s bill at its recent AGM.
