The planned sinking of the HMCS Annapolis this Saturday, Jan. 17 is now on hold until a court hearing on Jan. 27 decides the ship’s fate.
The Save Halkett Bay Marine Park Society filed an application in federal court last week asking for a judicial review of the disposal at sea permit granted to the Artificial Reef Society of B.C. (ARSBC).
On Jan. 12 Justice Michel Shore ordered the ARSBC to keep the Annapolis at its current location in Long Bay and scheduled a hearing for Jan. 27 to further look into Save Halkett Bay’s concerns.
The group maintains the sinking of the decommissioned warship in Halkett Bay to create an artificial reef will destroy sensitive marine habitat. Recently the group found evidence of tributyltin (TBT) on the bottom of the ship. TBTs are banned in Canadian waterways for their harmful effects on marine life; however, Environment Canada has stated the level of TBTs discovered are not a concern under their guidelines.
“Justice Shore’s order is clearly in favour of protecting the environment by keeping the now-derelict Annapolis at anchor until he has a chance to decide whether Environment Canada broke the law by issuing a permit to sink it,” said Gary Macdonald of Save Halkett Bay.
He said the evidence of TBTs alone should be reason to quash the permit, in Save Halkett Bay’s opinion.
“Clearly the ship contains an unknown amount of a toxin that’s dangerous to humans, much less fish, and that’s illegal to dispose of this way in Canada,” he said.
The proposed sinking of the HMCS Annapolis by the ARSBC has faced many challenges since 2009 when it was first proposed and ARSBC president Howard Robins sees this as just another hurdle to get past.
“We are on temporary hold until the next court hearing deals with the issues,” he said.
The ARSBC has a permit to sink the Annapolis this year; however, the sinking must take place by the end of January or wait until after Aug. 14, as per the permit’s guidelines.
