'Nobody is in charge': Derelict boats in False Creek a growing problem, residents say

Stephen Paetkau, the owner of Vancouver's Skookum Yacht Service, a local salvage and boat repair service, says diving for dead boats is complicated and time-consuming. It's also becoming more frequent.

"I think we just finished boats no. 78 and 79 since March of '21 … It's a lot for the False Creek Basin and for Granville Island and certainly for our shop," he told CBC News. 

On a mid-January day, Paetkau and colleagues removed a sailboat from that had been stuck for days under a boat ramp at Vanier Park. One of his divers said there was a gaping hole where the keel used to be, and the rudder was bent sideways. 

One advocate says derelict vessels and boats without the proper permits are a growing problem on False Creek, and a hodgepodge of government agencies responsible for the body of water in the heart of the city aren't enforcing the rules. 

WATCH | Who's responsible for derelict boats in False Creek? 

Derelict boats in False Creek a growing problem, residents say

6 days ago

Duration 4:05

Numerous boats at Vancouver’s False Creek have been left derelict for a long time, with some sinking and others washing ashore. As Belle Puri reports, the cost of removing the vessels is high, and often relies on taxpayer dollars.

Abandoned and derelict vessels can release engine oil, anti-freeze and a variety of toxins that can damage sensitive marine and coastal habitats, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  

"That is just a terrible mess for a variety of reasons," said Zaida Schneider, a former CBC journalist and president of the False Creek Friends non-profit society.

Boat ownership can be expensive, Paetkau says, and owners can reach a point where proper upkeep can prove financially challenging. 

"They're in an absolute bind. It makes no sense to spend money maintaining it anymore," he said.

That can lead to people abandoning their boats, but Paetkau says there is a lack of accountability for boat owners.

Penalties of up to $50,000 can be issued under the Wrecked, Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act, which is administered by the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada. Only seven fines have been issued — five by the Canadian Coast Guard and two by Transport Canada — since the law was implemented almost six years ago. Four of the coast guard fines and one of the Transport Canada fines were for violations in B.C.

'A step above a tent'

Griffin Shields has been living on a boat for eight years as a way to beat Metro Vancouver's high cost of living. 

He says he's worked on the water most of his life and feels at home in his boat, but others in False Creek aren't quite as comfortable.

"There's some people here who [for them] it's a step above a tent," Shields said. "They don't have heat in their boats, they can't cook, and they have to use the washroom on shore."

Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says officers with the marine unit have faced challenges dealing with boaters overstaying their welcome "often on boats that are not seaworthy, to say the least."

"They're not only an eyesore, but they probably pose a significant pollution problem," he said.

He says a free anchoring permit can be obtained from city hall or the Heather Civic Marina. 

The permit allows boaters to anchor a maximum of 14 full or partial days out of 30 during high season and 21 days out of 40 days in low season. 

Shields says he tends to bounce between False Creek and West Vancouver, so he's never in one place long enough to require a permit. 

"It's a bit of a revolving door," he said. "There's people that move and people that don't."

Schneider says the rules are rarely enforced. He estimates fewer than 10 per cent of boats in False Creek have a valid anchoring permit.

"To prosecute them for failure to have a permit is almost impossible," Schneider said. "So we're in a Catch-22 situation right now where there are rules, but it's almost impossible to enforce them."

Advocate laments lack of co-ordination

Addison says the jurisdiction over False Creek is shared by a number of agencies, including the VPD, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, the City of Vancouver, Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard. 

Schneider says there are more than a dozen government agencies who have one area of responsibility or another with regards to False Creek, but there's no overall co-ordinating agency to regulate the waterway. 

"The city has known about this problem since 1929 when it commissioned the first inquiry into why nobody was in charge — 1929," he said. "And every 15 or 20 years, governments and responsible agencies, they say we've got to do something about False Creek because nobody is in charge." 

Addison describes the idea that there are too many agencies responsible for False Creek as "a bit of a false narrative."

"We have multiple agencies, but we're working closely together to address the problem," he said.

For Paetkau, the work continues. It took about three hours to get the sailboat unstuck and transported to a boatyard. From there, the work was far from over.  

"We will spend a couple of hours removing the recyclable materials, all of the metals essentially," he said. "And then we're going to crush the plastic, cut it in pieces and throw it in the dumpster and send it to the landfill. That's what happens to it."