‘Cautious optimism' on cleanup for wrecked former B.C. ferry
The Queen of Sidney, a former BC Ferries vessel, was consumed by flames in early May along the Fraser River, where it's been moored since 2002.
The Coast Guard says the vessel doesn't pose an immediate threat to the environment, and that efforts are well underway to identify suitable options for its removal.
Mission Mayor Paul Horn said the community has a 'cautious optimism' that progress is being made.
1:49
Massive mess left behind after Queen of Sidney ferry fire
'We understand that the new owner of the vessel is working hard to sell it to a salvage operation and have it moved,' he said.
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Despite that Horn says the municipality has faced numerous hurdles in getting anyone to take responsibility for the cleanup.
'We are not just dealing with the Coast Guard, we are dealing with DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), we're dealing with Transport Canada, we're dealing with the federal Ministry of Environment, we're dealing with provincial agencies and it's almost impossible to find out who is responsible specifically for addressing these issues,' he told Global News.
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While federal officials say the vessel isn't leaking anything and therefore isn't an environmental hazard, Horn disagrees.
Horn said the frustration is only heightened by the fact that the city has been formally pushing to have the vessel dealt with since 2007.
'The best we've been able to accomplish is having it securely moored on the shore and having the other area around the foreshore cleaned up,' he said.
'There are no resources federally or provincially for cleaning up vessels or removing vessels and the penalties and fines for these vessels being left in this condition are just not there.'
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Derelict Queen of Sidney ferry burns in overnight fire
Derelict vessels are a growing problem plaguing the province's coastal communities.
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And despite the federal government passing new legislation targeting wrecked and abandoned vessels in 2019, enforcement has lagged.
It's a problem that's all too familiar for the residents of Maple Ridge, where the so-called 'McBarge' has been an eyesore for decades — and recently sank.
It remains mired in the Fraser River with no clear timeline for a cleanup.
'When situations like this come up, it's not just a money issue, although that is a big part of it, but it's also an issue of jurisdiction. Who's responsible for it? You have to get permission to actually move the vessel,' Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy said.
'When a vessel goes down, does the owner actually have enough money to remove that vessel? And that's really a big part of the problem. When you have multiple owners or when you have owners who are no longer there, it becomes a game of hot potato.'
Horn said that while the immediate priority is dealing with the wreck, in the long term he's also advocating for a reform of the derelict vessel system.
'We know that this is something that exists not just in Maple Ridge but all across our coast and so we're going to work with other municipalities, both of our MPs have said they're willing to go and advocate a petition on this issue in the fall legislature session,' he said.
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'We will be asking collectively for a renewal of the derelict vessel fund, we'll be asking for clarity on the jurisdictional authority of each of the various departments, we'll be asking that those different enforcement agencies work in a collaborative and team-based approach on these complex files and we'll ask for more resources for the cleanup of leaks and other hazardous materials that come out of them.'
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