In the last of this two-part series, Coast Reporter looks at the continuing issue of derelict boats in local waterways, this time in Howe Sound.
Like the residents of Porpoise Bay, Ian Winn, director of the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society, has a water view, but in this case, it’s West Howe Sound.
But that view has changed drastically in recent years, said Winn, and not in a good way.
“I see a lot of boats coming and going and I see a lot of debris and stuff floating by and the odd abandoned boat floating by,” said Winn. “I've got a good vantage point of being able to see what's happening in West Howe Sound.”
He said one incident of particular worry was two old salvaged vessels and a barge “temporarily” tied up in Andy’s Bay on the northwest side of Gambier Island. The condition of the vessels deteriorated over the years until one sank in about 300 feet of water, another broke free of its mooring and got stuck on the rocks on Anvil Island, while the third was listing badly and at risk of sinking and taking an old tug boat down with it.
Winn was so concerned about the possible environmental impact of these vessels, he wrote to several members of government, including Patrick Weiler, MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country.
In the letter, Winn explained Andy’s Bay is located between the Woolridge Island Rockfish Conservation Area and Mariners Rest Glass Sponge Reef protected area. “The pollution risk to the RCA and GSR areas is extreme. Should any of these vessels sink and contaminants spread, the environmental damage will be irreversible,” Winn wrote.
At the invitation of MP Weiler, Winn was then invited to appear as a witness at the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans as part of its study of derelict and abandoned vessels.
In his opening statement, Winn highlighted that particular situation in Howe Sound.
“I underscored the need for a faster more efficient system through the Wrecked Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act to be able to prevent vessels from sinking while the process of transfer of ownership for salvage rights was being slowly processed,” he wrote, calling it the worst-case example of what can happen as the system “grinds through the process.”
Weiler describes the issue of derelict and abandoned vessels as “frustrating.”
“First thing’s first, the person who's responsible for the boat is the boat owner. They're liable for anything that happens to that boat, the boat itself, anything emanating from that boat and any type of pollution or damage that it might cause,” said Weiler. “The boat owner is wholly liable for that.”
He added, when it comes to government jurisdiction, the province is in charge of the foreshore, which is in between the high and low water mark, and the shore and the seabed itself, while the federal government is responsible for the areas in between. He said Transport Canada is in charge of navigation risks, while Department of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for small craft harbours, which on the Coast includes Gibsons Harbour Landing Authority and the Porpoise Bay Harbour.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard, which is the mechanism to respond to marine emergencies such as pollution and oil spills, also falls under Fisheries and Oceans, but Transport Canada is in charge should a vessel pose a navigation threat, which is subject to a fine.
“Then there are rules about where you can moor your boat. And regulations that determine if a boat is abandoned, then there are provisions that Transport Canada, first, can direct a boat owner to reclaim that boat. But if the boat owner can't be found and, after due process, [Transport Canada] can actually take possession of boats as well.”
Last January, the federal government committed $1.6 million to tackle 34 abandoned and wrecked vessels across the province, including boats in Shoal Channel, Howe Sound, Plumper Cove, Langdale Point and Armours Beach, through Transport Canada’s Abandoned Boats Program.
He noted, there are also ways municipalities can take appropriate action and gave Bowen Island Municipality as an example. After years of effort, in 2017, Bowen Island took steps to get more authority when dealing with derelict and abandoned vessels for Mannion Bay through the Licence of Occupation strategy. Since then, owners of boats in the bay must register them with name and proof of ownership, name of the boat and licence information, contact information and proof they have third-party liability insurance. Refusing to do so, can lead to enforcement and fines.
But District of Sechelt Mayor John Henderson believes the onus is on the federal government, including Fisheries and Oceans, and the Coast Guard.
“Which, ultimately, are under the Government of Canada, but they've all got their own part in this, right? But it's the taxpayers, the community, saying this is not acceptable,” said Henderson, who added the situation has gotten so bad in and around Sechelt, he’s travelled to Ottawa to ask for help from the federal government.
“So, how do we change it? I still don't have the solution myself, but when do we say enough is enough?” said Henderson.
He confirms at this time, Sechelt does not have the same authority to deal with people living on floating homes as it would when it comes to enforcing bylaws on land.
He added, if someone on land went down to the beach and threw buckets of sewage into the ocean every day, they’d soon face consequences. Henderson wants to know why it’s OK then, for the people living in these floating homes to do the same with no repercussions at all.
“We have to be more assertive on this and there has to be consequences.”
He also believes there are very few homeless people living on boats in Porpoise Bay.
“These are OK places to live. These people are employed, they're not all migrants or homeless,” said Henderson. “There are a lot that are just using it as, presumably, as low-cost housing, but they're not paying for the services that they are taking advantage of, including sewage. Their vessels aren’t registered. And do they have insurance? You know, if something goes wrong, if their boat sinks, they just walk away.”
What Henderson would like to see happen is the removal of all abandoned boats and strict regulations imposed on anyone living on a vessel not paying for proper moorage.
“There's got to be consequences to this, but the district doesn’t have the authority to take this approach,” said Henderson. “If you choose to live on a derelict vessel, it's not good enough to say, well, it's not that bad. It is for somebody. But whatever we've been doing, and it's been going on for 20 years, it's not working.”
A meeting between all three levels of government and Sunshine Coast residents has been tentatively planned for September.
