FOPO Committee Report

DISSENTING OPINION FROM THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The New Democratic Party would like to thank the witnesses that appeared before committee on this study.

The federal government is proceeding with its plan to consolidate the first, second and fourth-busiest Canadian Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Service (MCTS) centres in the country into one super centre in Victoria.  This is the only location in Canada where three MCTS centres are being merged into one.  Every other amalgamation across the country combined two centres, not three. This final merger goes too far. Victoria will be carrying over 40% of the MCTS workload of the entire country and handling 83% of vessel movements in the Western Region.  (see map)

In his mandate letter the Minister was asked to improve marine safety. Witnesses testified that this closure will be a detriment to the safety of Canadians on the West Coast.   Currently out of the 6,000 search and rescue incidents that occur annually in Canada, approximately 1,000 of those are handled by Comox. Closing this busy centre increases the risk to mariner safety. 

Comox is the only MCTS centre in British Columbia that is not in a tsunami zone. A risk assessment to ensure that in the event of a tsunami with damage and destruction, the two remaining centres in Prince Rupert and Victoria would remain operational, has never been done. The Comox station is the newest MCTS building and was built to post-disaster standards.  It acts as emergency backup for British Columbia’s Emergency Preparedness, Response & Recovery system, broadcasting tsunami warnings for the provincial agency.  Mariners consider the Comox Station the lifeboat of Vancouver Island in emergencies. 

Currently there are five operating positions at the MCTS Centre in Victoria. Once the consolidation is complete, in the same room where there are five stations, there will be ten. The noise levels will be very high. Operators testified that they are worried about working in Victoria due to these increased noise levels. The more noise an operator must deal with the harder it is for him/her to determine a distress call.  Witnesses testified that staff shortages will result in excessive overtime causing heath issues and fatigue.  This will impact the safety of workers and the entire B.C coast.

Closing the MCTS Comox centre will result in a loss of local knowledge for the Canadian Coast Guard which we heard from witnesses is critical to the safety of mariners on the West Coast. This is the busiest search and rescue jurisdiction in Canada and it is imperative staff do not waste valuable time going back and forth with mariners in distress to determine their exact location.  Local people often use local names for places. For instance, in the Comox vessel traffic zone, there are two places called Twin Islands, two places called God's Pocket, and two places called Hole-in-the-Wall. The loss of this local geographical knowledge cannot be replaced.  The relationships you build on the ground are also vital to support the work of the Coast Guard. A witness testified that being able to ask a neighbour to look out their window to confirm a problem is invaluable. The consolidation of MCTS centres means these relationships will be lost.

Recommendation: It is the opinion of the New Democratic Party that the Comox Marine Communications and Traffic Service (MCTS) centre should remain open in order to ensure mariner safety, environmental protection and back-up emergency assistance to the West Coast.