Good afternoon, Chair, and esteemed committee members. It is a privilege to be invited to meet with you today on the important topic of derelict and abandoned vessels.

I live on the sunshine coast close to the small community of Ch’ḵw’elhp or Gibsons, located in the traditional territories of the Squamish Nation. My personal journey of learning about and dealing with these vessels began 10 years ago when I was an elected director with the Sunshine Coast Regional District for Area F, West Howe Sound. A November storm was blowing, and a sailboat that was being used as a live-aboard had broken its mooring in Gibsons Harbour and beached close to a community dock, risking nearshore homes.

The Coast Guard determined that there was no life safety issue or obvious contamination to the marine environment, and that it was not a hazard to navigation. After a few more calls for help, we realized that no government agency was taking responsibility. The community rallied and, working under lights that night when the vessel was on the beach at low tide, the vessel was pumped out and the hatches and windows sealed shut. At 4 a.m. on the high tide, a local tugboat operator pulled the vessel off the shore to a safe harbour, where it could be cleaned out and disposed of. The learnings for me and our community were that if you have a problem with a derelict or abandoned vessel, you're on your own.

Fast-forward 10 years. Thankfully much has been done at the federal government level to protect our marine environment with the introduction of the oceans protection plan, the subsequent WAHVA and now the vessel remediation fund, but gaps still exist.

Through my volunteer involvement with the Átl'ḵa7tsem or Howe Sound UNESCO biosphere region, I remain committed to issues such as derelict and abandoned vessels, marine debris and the best management practices for marine docks. Our local communities carry out many beach cleanup events, and through the good work of organizations like the Dead Boats Disposal Society, Ocean Legacy Foundation and the Átl'ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound Marine Stewardship Initiative, the marine environment is in a much better condition today than it was five years ago. However, those learnings and challenges encountered 10 years ago still persist today. This jurisdictional quagmire of who has the responsibility for dealing with D and A vessels is still very real.

In many cases, time is of the essence to deal with a vessel before it sinks or breaks up on shore. Two such situations in Átl'ḵa7tsem or Howe Sound underscore this situation. The first one involved an individual who bought a powerboat on a trailer in Squamish but who only really wanted the trailer. It was towed to the B.C. park at Porteau Cove, where the boat was launched and set adrift. The boat ran aground, became lodged under the government dock, broke up and sank. The finger pointing as to who was responsible continued while the marine debris and pollutants accumulated on shore. B.C. Parks finally removed the boat.

A much larger situation exists in Andy's Bay on the west side of Gambier Island in Átl'ḵa7tsem or Howe Sound, a bay closely located between a rockfish conservation area and a protected glass sponge reef. An individual was paid by the owner of two large scows and a barge to take possession of them and dispose of them in a proper manner. The vessels were towed to Andy's Bay two years ago and have been left to rot and take on water. The barge broke free in a storm and washed ashore on a neighbouring island. One of the scows sank in 300 feet of water and the remaining scow ownership has, through a long process, been transferred through the TC receiver of wrecks to a person who continues to search for a place to properly dispose of it and has to check on it and pump it out regularly.

The root of this problem is that the individual who was paid to dispose of the vessels is known to Transport Canada and is a repeat offender for doing this with other vessels in southwest British Columbia. However, the behaviour still continues, and authorities appear to be hamstrung to deal with the situation in a timely manner while the environment gets polluted.

As evidenced by this parliamentary committee, the federal government is stepping up to face the challenges of D and A vessels, but there is still more to be done. However, other levels of government at the provincial and local levels don't share in this responsibility. At the federal level, TC, CCG and DFO must be empowered to address D and A vessels in a much more timely manner. Less bureaucracy is needed in order to prevent pollution in our challenging and diverse Canadian marine environments.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak. I look forward to your questions.