Thank you.

My name is Bob Peart. I live in North Saanich, just outside of Victoria. I'm chair of Friends of Shoal Harbour—or FOSH, as we call ourselves. A priority for FOSH is the proliferation of derelict and abandoned vessels in Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, so your invitation's timely.

I acknowledge the complexity of this matter, and I thank the employees at Transport Canada and the Coast Guard for their help. We have a positive working relationship with them and appreciate their assistance. We're very frustrated because of the lack of progress on this matter. However, just recently, there was a notice in our local paper to dispose of two vessels in Tsehum Harbour, so there is some progress.

The points I'm making today are national in scope. However, I speak to you from the Saanich Peninsula and the surrounding waters of the Salish Sea. Our harbours are filled with derelict and abandoned boats. The situation is out of control, and local folks are really fed up. However, rather than dwelling on this dire state of affairs or assigning blame, I want to present a few solutions. My overarching message today is that the time has come for the federal government to reassert its legal powers, enforce existing legislation and provide the leadership that's so desperately needed.

One, the federal government needs to empower and support community initiatives, such as what Eric was just talking about. There are a number of positive local solutions evolving in our coastal waters in our efforts to fill the niche vacated by the federal government on Bowen Island; however, their success requires the federal government to fulfill its legal obligations. Likewise, for any initiatives being led by indigenous people or guardians, their efforts will be a moot point without federal support, and similarly for provisions of the B.C. Land Act and the coastal water lease permit process.

Specifically to Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, any progress being made by groups like ours or the Canadian wildlife service is impeded by the lack of federal attention. The federal government needs to support the difficult work that these community-based measures are trying to put in place.

Two, Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard need to enforce their existing legislation, redefine associated legislation and empower local communities to manage their 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 Coast Guard to Transport Canada. This was a mistake. Since then Transport Canada has largely failed to exercise its authority to enforce these regulations. As well, the federal government’s narrow definition of a mooring buoy as a “minor work” and the narrow definitions of “abandoned” and “dilapidated” hamper our efforts to enforce. This situation needs to change.

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 Coast Guard is best suited to provide this leadership. We need a single authority to manage the moorings, 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.

Four, the owner registry of vessels needs to be modernized. Transport Canada has, for years, repeatedly stated that the owner registry will be modernized. We see little progress. Without knowing the ownership of vessels, our bays will continue to be polluted by these abandoned vessels. As Eric said, Washington state has a system of annual registration. It's effective and enforced. Canada needs to put in place a similar system.

The time has come for the federal government to assert its legal powers, enforce existing legislation and re-establish its role prior to the 2004 transfer. It's time for the federal government to provide the leadership that Canadians expect, so that related governments and community groups can do their work with confidence. The concern is that, without these changes, our coastal waters will continue to be dumping grounds for these unwanted vessels.

Thank you very much.