POINT ONE The Federal Government needs to empower and support
community initiatives.
• There are a number of positive local solutions evolving in our coastal waters in an effort to fill the niche vacated by the federal government. However, their success requires the Federal
Government to fulfill their legal obligations.
• Likewise, for any initiatives being led by Indigenous People and Indigenous Marine Guardians. Their efforts will be a moot point without Federal support.
POINT TWO That Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard enforce the existing legislation, redefine associated legislation (as appropriate) and empower local communities to manage private mooring buoys.
• The core source of any ‘vessel of concern’ is the virtually unlimited supply of private mooring buoys.
• In 2004, the responsibility for the Private Buoy Regulations was transferred from the Canadian Coast Guard to Transport Canada.
• Since then Transport Canada has largely failed to exercise its authority to enforce these regulations.
• As well, the federal government’s definition of a mooring buoy as a ‘minor work’ and the narrow definition of ‘abandoned’ and ‘dilapidated’ seriously hampers any efforts to enforce.
• This situation needs to change.
POINT THREE Return the oversight, enforcement and compliance of the Private Buoy Regulations to the Canadian Coast Guard.
• The Federal Government needs to return to the level of control that existed prior to the 2004 transfer. The Canadian Coast Guard is best suited to provide this leadership.
• The Federal Government needs to return to the level of control that existed prior to the 2004 transfer. The Canadian Coast Guard is best suited to provide this leadership. We need a single authority to manage moorings, licensing, pollution and removal of vessels of concern, and this authority should be the Coast Guard.
• DFO oversees the Coast Guard so it makes sense, from a management perspective, to transfer the legal authority and funding back to the Coast Guard.
POINT FOUR The owner registry of vessels needs to be modernized.
• Transport Canada has for years repeatedly stated that the owner registry will be modernized, yet we see little progress.
• Without knowing the ownership of vessels our bays will continue to be polluted by these abandoned vessels.
• Meanwhile, Washington State has a system of annual registration that is quite effective. And a key point, it is being actively enforced.
• Canada needs to put in place a similar registration system now.
To read the full presentation, Presentation to DFO on Abandoned and Derelict Vessels.
