The Haida Nation and Transport Canada have revised a regional plan to ensure that ships in need of assistance have a designated location to stabilize their condition and reduce the hazards to navigation, human life and the environment.
The revised ‘Places of Refuge Contingency Plan for the Pacific Region’ includes a new Annex that identifies potential places of refuge around Haida Gwaii. It also reflects improvements to the federal marine safety regime and lessons learned from real-life incidents. The Plan was introduced in 2006, instructing regions to develop their own plans to reflect regional realities.
The Annex contains direction for the management of places of refuge incidents that affect Haida Gwaii, including technical, logistical and resource information about specific sites that may be evaluated as potential places of refuge. It is one of several sub-regional plans that will provide site-specific information about the management of places of refuge incidents.
Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, said:
The Haida Nation, with federal and provincial government partners, has demonstrated strong leadership to significantly update the places of refuge framework. By working and learning together, we’ve created a more inclusive plan to collaboratively manage Places of Refuge decisions. This teamwork is a foundation for ongoing work under the $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, the largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways.
Peter Lantin, President of the Haida Nation, added:
As a result of the 2014 Simushir incident, the Haida Nation made the decision to begin working with other governments to ensure that a coordinated and effective emergency response system was established for Haida Gwaii. The cooperative work between the Haida Nation and Transport Canada to refine the Places of Refuge Contingency Plan and to identify places of refuge within Haida territory is a significant achievement and an important addition to protecting Haida Gwaii waters and our way of life.
The Oceans Protection Plan aims to create a world-leading marine safety system that provides economic opportunities for Canadians today, while protecting coastlines. The strategy is being developed in close collaboration with Indigenous peoples, local stakeholders and coastal communities.
Under the plan, Canada has implemented several measures in recent months, including the proposed Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, the ‘Proactive Vessel Management‘ initiative aiming to address local marine traffic issues, the plan for bulk oil removal from the wreck of the Manolis L., the assessment of environmental effects of shipping, and others. A few days ago, Mr. Garneau announced the recipients of funding of more than $1.3 million through two programs aiming to remove abandoned vessels for Canadian waters.
