Expansion of the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act program in the Islands Trust Area Letter

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200 – 1627 Fort Street, Victoria BC  V8R 1H8 
Telephone  (250) 405-5151    Fax  (250) 405-5155 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 660-2421.  Elsewhere in BC 1.800.663.7867 
Email  information@islandstrust.bc.ca 
Web  www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
 
Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola  Galiano  Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
 
 
March 3, 2025                    File No.: 11-5020-30-10 
                                                                                                           
 
Via email: DFO.Minister-Ministre.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca 
TC.MinisterofTransport-MinistredesTransports.TC@tc.gc.ca 
 
The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, MP 
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the 
Canadian Coast Guard 
Fisheries and Oceans Canada 
200 Kent Street, Station 15N100 
Ottawa, ON K1A 0E6 
 
The Honourable Anita Anand, MP 
Minister of Transport and Internal Trade 
Transport Canada 
330 Sparks Street, 29th Floor 
Ottawa, ON K1A 0N5 
 
 
Re: Expansion of the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act program in the Islands 
Trust Area 
 
Dear Ministers Lebouthillier and Anand: 
 
On behalf of Islands Trust Executive Committee, I am writing to request that Fisheries and Oceans 
Canada and Transport Canada increase available funding through the Wrecked, Abandoned or 
Hazardous Vessels Act (WAHVA) to deal with hazardous vessels in the Islands Trust Area (southern 
Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound), and that the period to action vessels found to be in violation of 
WAHVA be reduced.  
 
There are many wrecked, abandoned and hazardous vessels throughout the Islands Trust Area 
between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia. These vessels are located in harbours 
and bays of the islands in the Salish Sea, a rich and diverse ecosystem under increasing threat from 
population growth, increased shipping, and climate change. 
 
As we understand it, Part 2 of the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act sets out specific 
enforcement timelines for various contraventions, notifications, and prohibitions under the Act 
that range from 30 and 60 days and up to two years. We understand that these timelines must 
elapse before Transport Canada can determine that a vessel is in violation of the abandoned or 
dilapidated prohibition. In the sensitive ecosystems of the Islands Trust Area, Islands Trust Council 
views these timeframes to be too long as weather conditions and vessel conditions can change 
rapidly, risking the release of hazardous materials into the marine and foreshore environments. 
 
We consider the number of wrecked, abandoned and hazardous vessels in the Islands Trust Area 
to be disproportionate to the rest of British Columbia and Canada. As such, we believe more funds 
are  
 
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada 
Transport Canada 
March 3, 2025 
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