The petition raises concerns about ship‑breaking activities occurring off the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It indicates that a company has been dismantling derelict vessels on the beach at Union Bay since 2019. The petition asks Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada whether they have checked these activities for hazardous waste leakage into the ocean.
According to the petition, ship‑breaking activities release toxic and hazardous chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, lead, and asbestos. The petition requests that the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 include provisions to monitor intertidal zones when hazardous waste is released from ship‑breaking activities. It also argues that ship breaking needs to be moved off beaches and onto dry land with proper infrastructure to store and treat hazardous waste, and it asks when Canada will implement a policy to do so.
According to the petition, a deregistered vessel is not considered a Canadian vessel under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, which limits Transport Canada’s regulatory authority. The petition asks Transport Canada to clarify how it plans to deal with these vessels.
The petition points out that Canada has not yet adopted international ship‑breaking regulations, such as the Hong Kong International Convention for the Sale and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 and the European Union’s ship recycling regulation, leaving Canadian coasts vulnerable to the harmful effects of ship breaking. The petition requests information on when Canada will adopt and enforce these regulations.