Minister of Transport re: Call for Immediate Action to Address Freighter Anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands

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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 
 
 
January 19, 2021       File No.: 5020-30 Anchorages 
 
Via Email: omar.alghabra@parl.gc.ca 
 
The Honourable Omar Alghabra 
Minister of Transport 
330 Sparks Street 
Ottawa ON, K1A 0N5 
 
  
Dear Minister Alghabra: 
 
Re:  Call for Immediate Action to Address Freighter Anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands 
 
On behalf of the elected Islands Trust Council I am pleased to convey our congratulations on your 
appointment as Minister of Transport. We look forward to working with you. I am writing at the request of 
the Islands Trust Council to express our dismay over the lack of federal government action to address the 
serious issue of freighter anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands and to request your leadership on the 
issue. Despite more than ten years of consistent advocacy from the Islands Trust, Members of Parliament, 
First Nations governments and coastal communities, the federal government has yet to play a leadership role 
in resolving this issue. We were heartened with the Ocean Protection Plan’s inclusion of an active Anchorage 
Initiative component but have failed to see any progress. As marine shipping continues to grow and supply 
chain inefficiencies continue to worsen, our communities and the marine environment of the Salish Sea are 
suffering the costs of prolonged federal inaction. Amidst a climate emergency, this inaction is simply 
unacceptable. 
 
The Islands Trust Area, between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island is one of the most 
productive marine ecosystems in the world and includes the highest density of species at risk in Canada. The 
significance and sensitivity of the region, and the need for protective measures, were internationally 
recognized in 1973. Nonetheless, over the past ten years, the number of coal, grain and break bulk cargo 
ships anchoring in the Southern Gulf Islands has increased dramatically as ships wait to access the Port of 
Vancouver. Coastal communities are deeply concerned over the increasing number of vessels, the growing 
size of these vessels and the longer periods of time that vessels are spending at anchor due to long-standing 
supply chain issues. Industry and government predict anchorage use will continue to increase unless the 
federal government and the Port of Vancouver implement long-term solutions.  
 
The Islands Trust Council takes seriously its statutory mandate from the Province of British Columbia to work 
in cooperation with others to preserve and protect this sensitive and biodiverse region, but we c

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