Oceans plan will tackle abandoned watercraft
Launched in November 2016, Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan is a historic, $1.5-billion investment to make our coasts healthier, safer and better protected. It includes a comprehensive strategy to address abandoned and wrecked vessels in Canadian waters.
Last year, our government began implementing a multi-year strategy to prevent irresponsible vessel-management practices, and to remove problem boats that could harm the environment.
As part of this strategy, we have proposed the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, which would prohibit vessel abandonment, strengthen owner responsibility and liability, and provide the authority for our government to take proactive action on hazardous vessels before they become more costly to Canadians. This legislation would also bring the 2007 Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks into force of law in Canada.
In addition, last year we launched two programs to provide coastal communities and other eligible recipients with the necessary funding to remove and dispose of abandoned vessels on our coasts. These two programs will do more than just clean up our coasts, shorelines and fishing harbours; they will educate boat owners about their responsibilities, and support research into improving recycling options for boats. The successful recipients of these programs announced this week are just the first of many, as funding will continue to flow over the programs’ five-year spans. Other calls for proposals will be launched in the future.
Ensuring owners are held responsible for their boats, including their proper disposal, is key. Our government is enhancing boatowner identification systems for pleasure craft and commercial vessels. We are also looking at long-term options to establish funds, financed by boat owners, to address large and small abandoned and wrecked boats. This will help reduce the financial burden on taxpayers, who have been burdened by many of the costs to remove and dispose of problem boats.
Creating an inventory of abandoned and wrecked vessels will help us understand the extent of the problem nationally. We are developing a method to prioritize boats in the inventory based on risk, in consultation with partners that include coastal communities, Indigenous groups and local governments.
Collectively, these measures will help reduce the number of problem vessels that pose environmental, health and safety or other hazards in Canadian waters.
Our coasts and waterways are among our most valuable resources. They should be free of pollution and hazards, such as those posed by abandoned and wrecked boats. Our government is acting responsibly and proactively to protect our coasts for this generation and generations to come.