Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to all the DFO officials. Thank you for being with us at committee here to answer our questions.
Commissioner, I'd like to follow up with a question to you. Since the closure of the Kitsilano coast guard station, I've heard from local mariners that the transition has been anything but smooth sailing. With the increased use of the hovercraft from Burrard Inlet, including additional travel time and greater expense to operate than the vessels used at Kitsilano station, I have to wonder how much money the government is actually saving with this closure.
In November, several boats near False Creek were destroyed in a wind storm. Thankfully, no one was hurt. If the Kitsilano base had still been open, could these shipwrecks and the resulting pollution have been prevented? I understand Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services were frustrated watching from shore this property damage occur in front of their eyes.
In April a man tragically died of a heart attack while aboard a freighter that was literally within sight of the former Kitsilano coast guard station. This was a tragedy. It also raised serious concerns about the wisdom of closing Kitsilano station and the realities of increased response times. Again, local paramedics used the strategically located Kitsilano dock for the rescue but were frustrated that coast guard officials took longer in the rescue than if the station had been open.
Given that the Kitsilano station was the busiest coast guard station in Canada and that no proper risk analysis was done before its closure, I'm not surprised that we continue to learn of incidents that may have gone differently had the government not put public safety at risk by closing this station. Although the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans chastised me for criticizing this closure, I believe it is my duty to continue raising these issues and holding the government to account.
My question today is about the estimated net savings of the $700,000 from this closure. What sort of unexpected costs or complications have arisen since the closure, and how have these costs changed the $700,000 net saving figure, or has this changed?