On Oct 28, Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell spoke as a witness at the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans regarding derelict and abandoned vessels.
Mayor Mitchell testified alongside Bonny Brokenshire, Environmental Professional, who spoke about the context on the West Coast of Canada.
In his opening testimony, Mitchell outlined the long history of derelict and abandoned vessels in Bridgewater. He told the story of the HMCS Fraser and its sale to the Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia.
“Their plan was to convert this ship to a floating museum, yet they had no funding secured to do so. I want to note that because I’m not aware if there is currently a policy that would prevent the acquisition of surplus vessels,” he said. “…But had there been one that set out rules for such acquisitions, such as ensuring funding was even in place for any proposed future use beyond scrap, our story would be much different.”
Mitchell went on to list the numerous impacts of the vessels on the town.
“First, the risk to the environment was always heightened, a fear across our entire community daily. These vessels were in constant danger of breach and were known to still contain fuels, oils, and lubricants,” he shared.
He continued by addressing the impact the vessels had on property values and community morale. He concluded his statement by saying, “I cannot stress enough just how damaging or impactful it can be to have any kind of watercraft left to rot.”
During question period, Mitchell reiterated his concern not just for the process once a vessel is deemed a hazard, but how to prevent the creation of new abandoned vessels through divestiture of decommissioned vessels.
“None of this would have happened had a divestiture of a federal property gone into the proper hands with a plan. So to me, it’s not just the ability to abandon a vessel at a wharf, it’s [ensuring it has] gone into the proper hands with a plan,” he said.
Clifford Small, Member of Parliament for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, asked Mitchell about his opinion on the state of the situation in Atlantic Canada.
“Do you think the list of abandoned vessels in Atlantic Canada represents the actual number of vessels or do you think there are a few more that are not recorded?”
Mitchell said he thought there were more up in Cape Breton that weren’t captured in the list.
As of Nov 1, 2024, the national inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels contains 1,358 entries, 34 of which are associated with Nova Scotia.
In 2019, the Canadian government passed the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act to address irresponsible vessel management. It allows for more proactive measures to be taken to address environmental, economic and social risks of vessels of concern. This includes making owners liable for the cost of removing a dangerous vessel.
The dismantling and removal of the three vessels from the LaHave earlier this year was estimated to cost $3.7 million. According to Mitchell, the cost was covered by the Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund, and not paid by taxpayers.
This was the second time Mitchell was invited to speak on this topic. In an email comment to the Barnacle, he shared he hopes legislation continues to support communities in similar scenarios.
“After my first testimony a few years ago, legislation was brought in that directly impacted (positively) the ability to begin removing ships from the wharf here,” he wrote. “To have two historically significant ships like we had rotting at the wharf should never have happened in the first place and I am hopeful that after my remarks this week, that will be something that also changes.”
