Regional District of Nanaimo directors are on board with proposed federal abandoned vessels legislation.
Sheila Malcolmson, Nanaimo-Ladysmith NDP MP, made a presentation on Bill C-352 at the regional district board meeting Tuesday. The board subsequently voted unanimously to write federal and provincial governments voicing support.
Malcolmson introduced the bill April 13 in Ottawa, and it seeks to amend the Canada Shipping Act to designate the Canadian Coast Guard for vessel removal and assign it responsibility for contacting vessel owners. Similar legislation was introduced by Malcolmson’s predecessor Jean Crowder.
“The new parts of my bill are fixing vessel registration, which has fallen into terrible disrepair over the last 10 years and consideration of doing what Washington state did, which is the fees associated with vessel registration go into a pool of money that is available for fast action on boats that look like they are in imminent risk to sink,” said Malcolmson.
Other elements include a boat scrapping program, or boat amnesty, and job creation for salvaging vessels and vessel recycling, Malcolmson said.
The bill is badly needed, said Bill Veenhof, board chairman.
Veenhof said he was told by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that derelict vessels that sank could affect local aquaculture as shellfish leases could be shut down for up to two years.
On top of being threats to the environment and economy, abandoned vessels present a danger to navigation, said Veenhof.
Abandoned vessel legislation from Liberal MP Bernadette Jordan was endorsed unanimously in October, but an April 26 deadline to enact meaningful steps to address the issue passed, said Malcolmson.
There was no money allocated for it in the 2017 federal budget, which is of concern, Malcolmson said.
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com