Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Vancouver Nov. 7 to announce a $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan.
The key elements of the plan are aimed at oil spill response, improving search and rescue capabilities, and protecting marine life and environments. There was also a brief reference to derelict and abandoned vessels: “The Oceans Protection Plan also includes a comprehensive package of measures that address abandoned, derelict and wrecked vessels and makes owners responsible and liable for clean-up costs.”
Pam Goldsmith-Jones, the Liberal MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky, revealed some of the details at an event later in the week in Horseshoe Bay.
They include $100 million to be set aside for dealing with derelicts, wrecks and abandoned vessels that have already been identified. “On our [B.C.] coast it also includes barges and docks,” she said. “It’s also going to be challenging for us because we’re going to be dealing with people who live on abandoned vessels, and that’s a distinct problem from that of the Atlantic coast.”
Goldsmith-Jones also said Canada will join the Nairobi International Convention for the Removal of Wrecks, which was established in 2007.
NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson of Nanaimo-Ladysmith called the government’s announcement a promising sign that years of lobbying by MPs, MLAs and local government leaders in coastal communities is starting to bear fruit, and she’s optimistic that some of the ideas that came out during recent consultations could find their way into the Ocean Protection Plan.
“They had an excellent discussion paper, they got a lot of very detailed input, so I know that within the ministry [of transportation] they are generating these very specific ideas, at least at the consultation phase, and they’re getting very specific input back from local governments and coastal interests,” she said. “I’m a little worried we didn’t get that level of detail in [Monday’s] announcement, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s coming.”
One part of the Liberal announcement seems to have echoes of a private member’s bill tabled by the riding’s former MP, Conservative John Weston. C-695 would have imposed fines of up to $100,000 and possible jail time for owners who abandon their vessels. Goldsmith-Jones said the “polluter pay” aspect of the government plan will involve legislation to put responsibility and liability on owners to properly remove and dispose of their vessels, and take measures to make it easier to identify vessel owners.
Malcolmson said now that the government is taking some steps in the right direction, she wants to keep up the pressure to get Ottawa to enact measures that would make it easier to dispose of boats responsibly, such as encouraging fibreglass recycling, or follow Washington State’s lead and use vessel registration fees to build a special fund that can be used to deal with abandoned or derelict vessels.
She’s also still hoping to see her private member’s bill, C-219, that would give the Coast Guard authority over derelict or abandoned vessels, get government support.
“This is a long-term plan, so that we can prevent the problem in the future, but it also recognizes that we have an immediate problem and there’s going to be funding to address that,” said Goldsmith-Jones, adding that working with provincial, local and First Nation governments is going to be key. “There’s a lot of advocacy and interest in our community, and to be able to attach that to an actual federal plan is great.”
