Proper Disposal of Derelict Docks

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Preserving and protecting over 450 islands and surrounding waters in the Salish Sea 
Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola  Galiano Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
 
 
 
200-1627 Fort Street, Victoria BC  V8R 1H8 
Telephone  (250) 405-5151    Fax  (250) 405-5155 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 604.660.2421.  Elsewhere in BC 
1.800.663.7867 
Email  information@islandstrust.bc.ca 
Web  www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
August 4, 2022        File No.: 11-5020-30-10 
 
Via email: LWRS.Minister@gov.bc.ca; josie.osborne.MLA@leg.bc.ca  
 
The Honourable Josie Osborne 
Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship 
PO Box 9012 Stn Prov Govt 
Victoria, BC V8M 9L6   
 
Re:   Proper Disposal of Derelict Docks 
 
Dear Minister Osborne: 
 
On behalf of Islands Trust Executive Committee, as requested by resolution at its May 25, 2022 meeting, I am 
writing to advocate for the proper disposal of derelict docks in British Columbia. 
 
In the process of replacing marine docks, old derelict docks are often not disposed of properly. These derelict 
docks, and the Styrofoam and other materials that escape from them, are compromising the ecological 
health of the Salish Sea, Indigenous food harvesting sites, and aquatic species at risk in the Islands Trust Area 
and across British Columbia. In recent years, many derelict docks, and/or components of them such as 
rubber tires, Styrofoam blocks and pellets, and creosote-covered wood have been washing up on Islands 
Trust Area shorelines, a phenomenon that is likely to increase with climate change driven storms and sea 
level rise. There is a need for the Province to enact a “cradle to grave strategy” to address the entire life cycle 
and proper disposal of derelict docks.  
 
Islands Trust is a special-purpose government with a provincial mandate to preserve and protect over 450 
islands and surrounding waters in the Salish Sea. The Islands Trust Area is home to the highest density of 
species at risk in Canada and some of the most diverse and sensitive marine ecosystems in the world. We 
rely on support from other government agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource 
Stewardship, to help us fulfill this special mandate for the benefit of all British Columbians. As such, we call 
on the Ministry to enact a strategy to address the proper disposal of derelict marine docks. 
 
Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We would appreciate your leadership on this longstanding 
issue.  
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Peter Luckham 
Chair, Islands Trust Council 
pluckham@islandstrust.bc.ca  
 
Cc: Minister of Municipal Affairs 
Islands Trust Area MLA’s 
Islands Trust Council 
Bowen Island Municipality 
Islands Trust website

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