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The Concerned Citizens of Baynes Sound (CCOBS) fully supports the need for a clear and responsible path forward on ship recycling in British Columbia and across Canada. With over 900 vessels approaching retirement in the coming years, it is imperative that Canada adopts international shipbreaking standards to ensure these ships are dismantled safely, sustainably, and with full regulatory oversight.

Ship recycling must take place in dedicated, deep-water, heavy industrial ports with proper permits, facility drawings and plans, hazardous waste lists, and full containment systems. Without these measures, environmental risks—including toxic discharges, habitat damage, and community health impacts—remain unacceptably high.

Canada’s vast coastline is both a tremendous asset and a responsibility. Protecting marine ecosystems, supporting sustainable industry, and respecting the rights and stewardship of local First Nations must guide any ship recycling initiatives. Facilities such as a closed-containment dry dock in Port Alberni present a promising opportunity: they can provide safe, high-value jobs, maintain essential ship repair and maintenance capacity, and prevent the unnecessary environmental risks of shipbreaking at sites not equipped for this work.

It is not the responsibility of taxpayers to fund these drydocks. Instead, fleet owners must ensure that their asset retirement obligations (AROs) are met. Each shipowner’s fleet should be assessed to develop a dedicated fund for building and maintaining drydock facilities that meet international standards. This ensures the costs of safe, environmentally responsible recycling are borne by those generating the vessels—not the public.

We thank Seaspan’s Tony Winter and Matthias Teichrieb for opening the Esquimalt Graving Dock and demonstrating the critical role these facilities play in West Coast marine operations. However, the need for federal regulations, funding mechanisms from shipowners, and infrastructure support is urgent: Canada cannot rely on repurposing operational docks for shipbreaking without risking the safety, jobs, and ecological health of our communities.

CCOBS encourages all levels of government to act decisively, adopt international standards, and ensure that vessel recycling in Canada is done responsibly, transparently, and with meaningful consultation. This is about protecting our oceans, our communities, and the long-term sustainability of Canada’s marine industry.

Gord Johns for Courtenay-Alberni

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Thanks to Seaspan’s Tony Winter (Vice President & General Manager – Victoria Shipyards) and Matthias Teichrieb (Manager, Strategy & Transformation) for taking time this month to meet with me and show me around the Esquimalt Graving Dock (EGD)—a federal asset that plays a vital role in keeping vessels operational on the West Coast.

The EGD provides essential drydock access for Royal Canadian Navy ships, BC Ferries, and cruise ships, creating hundreds of high-value jobs and supporting emergency dockings when vessels require urgent repair.

However, using this facility for prolonged shipbreaking risks reducing its availability for projects of national importance. It would displace high-value ship repair work, hurt B.C.’s marine industry, and raise environmental and safety concerns for local communities and First Nations—especially given the lack of meaningful consultation to date.

With BC Ferries’ retired vessels, Bowen Queen and Powell River Queen, now at the dock, the need for a clear path forward on ship recycling in B.C. is more urgent than ever. One option that deserves serious attention is the creation of a closed-containment dry dock in Port Alberni—a facility that could safely handle ship recycling while also creating good-paying jobs locally.

To make this possible, we need clear federal regulations for ship recycling and funding support for infrastructure development. That way, we can establish a safe, sustainable, and community-supported solution for vessel recycling—without undermining the essential role of the Esquimalt Graving Dock.

This is about protecting good jobs, safeguarding our coast, and ensuring that Canada has the ship repair and maintenance capacity it needs for decades to come.