Good afternoon.
Thank you to the committee for the opportunity to appear as a witness on the study of derelict and abandoned boats.
My name is Ben Boulton. I am the derelict vessel program manager with the Rugged Coast Research Society, located on Vancouver Island. Today I'm calling in from Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ territory in Ucluelet, B.C.
Rugged Coast has been around since 2017, focusing on “boots on the ground” action in anthropogenic stressors removal, be they shoreline cleanups or derelict vessels and aquaculture sites. That's been our main focus. As of last year, my main focus has been removing derelict vessels from very remote, hard-to-reach nooks and crannies off Vancouver Island.
Our program runs in partnership with our host nations' governments. We value meaningful connection with our indigenous partners in our projects. That's been at the forefront of our operation over the last few years. Over the last year, we've removed 52 vessels between Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ and Che:k’tles7et’h’ traditional territory and Hesquiaht territory. We are slated to remove another 20 vessels before the year is out. With the week I've had, it seems that number may be higher. I've been dealing with small craft harbours and the Coast Guard non-stop this week over vessels sinking up and down the west coast. We're likely to see that number increase over the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, this last year has only been a starting point for our operations. Working with communities up and down the coast, we identified an initial 200 vessels that are not in the registry. As Mr. Roe mentioned, the number 1,046—or wherever that number stands at this point—is grossly underestimated. A good example I like to bring forward is our project in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ and Che:k’tles7et’h’ territory last year. When we went in, we were looking at removing 12 vessels. We ended up removing 35 vessels. That gives you a bit of context on what is known versus what is actually out there. There are many more vessels pending further subtidal analysis and survey.
Some of the challenges we've been experiencing over the last few years include the criteria and the costs required to dispose of a vessel in a remote community. These are extremely high. When you look at a remote community on the west coast of Vancouver Island, or anywhere up the central and north coast, having a vessel is a way of life. It's a livelihood. It's a necessity. When your boat becomes unusable at the end of its life, what are you going to do with it? Typically, it's going to cost a few thousand dollars to remove it. If you are in an economically challenged area, with a lack of work or seasonal work, a couple of thousand dollars to dispose of a vessel is huge. What are you left to do?
Another piece is that we have an aging population in this country. Sickness and death are factors in a lot of the vessels we've been looking at. Vessel owners pass away or leave communities to seek medical aid. Then their vessels sink and become abandoned. Something that should be looked at federally, as well as provincially, is offering disposal programs for remote communities.
Right now, disposal and funding initiatives.... While there is funding, there are limitations. We have noticed that these funds are diminishing, as I am sure a lot of other organizations have—ones working under the abandoned boats program, the small craft harbours program, the “Clean Coast, Clean Waters” program and other derelict vessel initiatives. They come with a lot of different requirements. Small groups are not necessarily able to access these funds.
The permitting process around removing derelict vessels is cumbersome. If we do not have a vessel owner present, we have to go through the section 38 authorization process, which includes a 30-day notice period. Often—especially in the summertime, when there are people out of the office—it can take up to two months to get these section 38s in-hand so we can assess and remove a vessel. Two months is a long time, especially when we're getting into the fall season. Right now, we have five-metre seas on the west coast. We're going to be seeing a lot more vessels going down and sinking in the next few months here.
Currently, end-of-life disposal options are limited. We don't end up recycling a lot from the vessels we remove. Sure, we get the metals, batteries, fluids and fuels. However, there isn't a stream that exists right now for meaningful fibreglass recycling. This is something that R and D funding should focus on, in our opinion.