Greens Call on the Federal Fisheries Ministry to Act on Shipbreaking in Union Bay
OTTAWA – The Concerned Citizens of Baynes Sound (CCOBS) have retained legal assistance through West Coast Environmental Law, in order to assess whether federal laws have been broken by the activities of Deep Water Recovery, the company responsible for ship-breaking operations in Union Bay.
According to their statement, this site was never properly environmentally assessed and authorized for this activity. Ship breaking operations have continued without required authorizations. Shipbreaking requires appropriate safeguards and port /dry dock containment given the inherent hazards involved. The site must also be properly cleaned up and maintained. This includes cleaning up of soil and the marine environment; implementing solutions to prevent further pollution from unlined sumps and other infrastructure, and long-term monitoring to show that the ecosystem has recovered.
“Shipbreaking activities like those in Union Bay pose a significant risk to the environment and must be conducted under strict safeguards,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. “The situation at Union Bay underscores a failure by both provincial and federal authorities to uphold their responsibilities under the Fisheries Act. Pollution from these operations is not only damaging marine ecosystems but also eroding public trust in regulatory oversight.”
The public concern is that pollution arising from shipbreaking continues unabated at Union Bay, and Provincial and Federal Regulators are allowing this to happen. DFO and ECCC have also failed to take meaningful action to address this problem. But by refusing to take action, for years now, the province, like landowners, landlords, and regulators, has allowed this pollution (Lead, Copper, Zinc and Cadmium) from the dismantling of beached vessels onshore.
It’s also possible that the province is now in violation of federal laws as a result of doing nothing, or nothing meaningful to stop the pollution. Violations by the Province may include section 35 – harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat; Section 36(3) –permitting the deposit of a deleterious substance of any type of water frequented by fish; Section 38 – failing in a duty to notify DFO re the deposit of a deleterious substance in water frequented by fish; and Section 38 –failing in a duty to take corrective measures.
The Green Party calls on Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier to order a formal review of the current federal regulations regarding shipbreaking, in order to assess the environmental damage at Union Bay and to determine whether Deep Water Recovery or the Province of British Columbia have contravened the Federal Fisheries Act, and if so, what measures will be taken to mitigate further environmental damage.
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For more information or to arrange an interview :
Fabrice Lachance Nové
Press secretary
514-463-0021