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Urgent Call: Participate in Transport Canada Survey
NewsTransport Canada has quietly placed a list of questions on their website about their proposal to give permission to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to manage the Southern Gulf Island Anchorages. The South Coast Ship Watch Alliance...
South Coast Ship Watch Alliance welcomes “Freighter Free Chemainus”
NewsAnother group of concerned citizens—Freighter Free Chemainus—is joining South Coast Ship Watch Alliance efforts to end the use of commercial freighter anchorages in the Southern Gulf Island waters. Chemainus is a small town...
Anchored Ships Cause Significant Seafloor Damage
NewsRecent seabed mapping published by the Geological Survey of Canada exposes extensive scarring at freighter anchorages in the Salish Sea such as this scouring in Plumper Sound, the body of water surrounded by Mayne, Saturna and the...
South Coast Ship Watch Alliance welcomes “Ruxton Anchorage Watch”
NewsWe are pleased to announce that a new group of concerned citizens is joining us in our efforts to end the use of commercial freighter anchorages in the Southern Gulf Island waters. Ruxton is one of the De Courcy Group of Islands...
Coastal community stakeholders seek firm targets from government to eliminate Southern Gulf Islands Industrial Anchorages
NewsThe South Coast Ship Watch Alliance has concerns regarding a recent Transport Canada pre-election announcement regarding marine vessel traffic management. The Alliance and other stakeholders have been seeking closure of the 33...
New Federal Budget 2021: What does it mean for Ocean Protection?
News$17.6 billion was allocated to green recovery, including marine conservation.The federal government made a public commitment to protect 25% of Canada’sland and ocean by 2025, and lead globally to ensure 30% protection of the...
In Memory of Chris Straw
NewsOur South Coast Ship Watch Alliance has lost a most dedicated and passionate advocate in our efforts to protect this special place. Just a short month ago, Chris Straw died in a tragic construction accident on Gabriola Island, a place...
Investigation into freighter collision reveals ongoing dangers Southern Gulf Islands
News, bc, cargo, freighter, ship, southern gulf islandsThe results from a Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation are in. On March 30, 2020 a 200 metre cargo ship dragged anchor in high winds and collided with another ship in Plumper Sound (between Mayne, Saturna and Pender...
New bill would prohibit freighters from anchoring around Vancouver Island
NewsAlistair MacGregor, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, has put forth a bill to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 to prohibit the anchoring of freighter vessels using coastal waters along the Southern Strait of Georgia. “In the absence...
New petition in the House of Commons
NewsPaul Manly, the Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, and member of Green Party of Canada has put forward this new Petition in the House of Commons calling on the government to: 1. Eliminate the 33 commercial anchorages...
Updated: Nightmare continues in Plumper Sound
NewsHere we go again. For people living close to the water on Pender, Mayne and Saturna Islands, it’s a recurring nightmare. The sheltered area, known as Plumper Sound, is a picturesque and ecologically rich body of water in the Southwest...
A sight for tired eyes: Thetis residents surrounded by freighters in recent weeks
NewsThe rural Southern Gulf Islands used to be a place where residents and visitors could escape the city and have a peaceful nights rest. In the past few years, these islands which laid between open waters, have become a floating...