Oak Bay cleans up derelict boats as problem persists along B.C.'s coast

Residents and local politicians are celebrating the removal of derelict vessels that, for years, have marred the shorelines in the District of Oak Bay, near Victoria, B.C.

Over the weekend, several vessels were finally hauled to shore, broken up and taken away.

"It's the end of a chapter of a lot of hard work by a whole lot of people," said Eric Dahli with the Cadboro Bay Residents' Association.

Oak Bay's government paid $4,000 for the clean-up, while the province provided $10,000.

Last fall, the neighbouring municipality of Saanich paid $50,000 to clean up derelict boats along its shores.

• Derelict boat fee proposed to pay for cleanup of wrecks

"This is a perennial problem up and down the coast here in the [Capital Regional District] and for that matter up and down the island," said Nils Jensen, the mayor of Oak Bay.

Earlier this year, Ottawa announced an Abandonded Boats Program, worth nearly $6 million, where groups can apply for a grant to remove abandoned or wrecked small boats posing a hazard in Canadian waters.

"We've now got enough to make a difference, so this is a first good step," said Murray Rankin, the NDP MP for Victoria.

"But people shouldn't think we've solved the problem — we've got a lot more to do."

Oak Bay says there will be more derelict boats to deal with in its jurisdiction, but it won't be able to afford to pay what it did for this weekend's clean-up every year.

An ongoing problem with derelict boats is determining who is responsible for them.

"Dealing with problem vessels and structures can be highly complex due to the mix of provincial ownership of land, federal jurisdiction over navigation and shipping and sometimes conflicting federal and provincial laws," says a provincial guide on the subject.

Following the long arduous task of removing the Viki Lyne II from Ladysmith's harbour, local MP Sheila Malcolmson tabled a private members bill that would give the Coast Guard enhanced powers to deal with the problem vessels.

Some cities, like Port Moody, have turned to enhanced legislation to prevent the boats becoming problems in the first place.

Last August, with the help of the Port of Vancouver, the city started a designated anchorage area (DAA) pilot project, giving it jurisdiction over an area on the water.

All boats moored in the DAA will now need to be insured, registered and permitted with the city in order to be docked there.

• Port Moody cracks down on derelict boats

With files from CHEK News.