New help needed over the ocean

Senate report recommends civilian helicopter operator provide aeronautical search and rescue coverage

The fact that the number of search and rescue incidents in Newfoundland and Labrador is twice as high as the national average, with most occurring at sea, is concerning enough to recommend a new approach, a Senate committee report released Thursday concluded.

On average, 600 lives are saved, while 18 others are lost, every year off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has the longest coastline in Canada — 28,000 kilometres.

Heavy ice, icebergs, freezing spray, storms and fog add danger to the situation.

The report, When Every Minute Counts: Maritime Search and Rescue, notes across the country search and rescue (SAR) missions save 15 lives daily, and the commercial fishing industry has the highest fatality rate among all employment sectors in Canada — an average of one death every month.

The committee recommended that Fisheries and Oceans Canada ensure its regulations and practices give priority to fish harvesters’ safety.

The Senate committee also wants Transport Canada to amend its regulations to extend the mandatory use of emergency position-indicating radio beacons (or EPIRBS) to vessels in all fishing fleets. A timeline of two years should be given to the fishing industry to achieve mandatory EPIRB carriage, the report stated.

The Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans study of maritime search and rescue operations led its members to fact-finding missions on the West Coast, East Coast and in the North, work that began in 2016 and included public hearings in St. John’s, Ottawa and Halifax.

Newfoundland and Labrador Senator Fabian Manning, the committee chairman, was unavailable for comment Thursday, but planned to address local media Friday.

In its report, the committee recommends that, as a pilot project, the Department of National Defence authorize a civilian helicopter operator to provide aeronautical search and rescue coverage in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canadian Arctic.

“Committee members were also told that there is a shift in the way the fisheries are conducted in (Newfoundland and Labrador), with a higher number of vessels being on the water more frequently, longer fishing seasons, and fishing activities further from the shore,” the report states.

“There is also an increase in offshore oil and gas development, more recreational boating and growing large-passenger vessel activity. Given the lack of a (Canadian Air Force)

CAF fixed-wing SAR aircraft in the province, having a private aeronautical SAR asset staged at proximity of these marine activities could reduce SAR response times and improve outcomes.”

The senators ruled out privatization of aeronautical SAR — like in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia — or another large government capital expenditure project for additional SAR aircraft, or to rebuild the older ones as the right solution to address Canada’s unique situation.

“However, the committee believes that alternative service delivery — in the form of publicprivate partnerships that leverage the best of both public and private capabilities/resources — could offer, in the short- and medium-terms, an innovative and cost-effective solution to supplement SAR resources in regions with little or insufficient coverage,” the report said.

Also, the committee recommends that the Canadian Coast Guard be established as a separate statutory agency reporting to the minister of transport, with Transport Canada transferring the responsibility of search and rescue prevention and recreational boating safety back to the Canadian Coast Guard along with the associated funding.

It noted the confusion that can occur with various departments and levels of government involved in search and rescue jurisdiction, as well as support from volunteers and the private sector.

Response times and reliability came up as a major concern.

In the Halifax search and rescue region 1,741 Maritime search and rescue missions were led in 2017.

A distress incident at sea can occur suddenly and without warning, as a result of injury, mechanical failure, environmental conditions, lack of safety equipment or human error, the Senate committee noted.