That Sinking Feeling

April-May 1996

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

Artificial reefs a hazard

by Georgia Strait Alliance

The Artificial Reef Society of BC is moving full steam ahead with its plan to sink yet more derelict navy ships in Georgia Strait. So far the HMCS Chaudiere and the HMCS Mackenzie have hit the bottom -- in Sechelt Inlet (December '92) and off Sidney (September '95). The first was a virtual give-away by the federal government (the ARS purchased the ship from the government for $1 plus GST, then financed the sinking project by selling salvageable materials from the ship). The second received well over half a million dollars in federal and provincial funding.

The next two sinkings are slated for Campbell River (HMCS Columbia, June 22) and Nanaimo (HMCS Saskatchewan, later this year). The Campbell River project has won the support of the Times-Colonist, the Campbell River Courier and the Nanaimo Daily Free Press -- which will contribute $10,000. In addition, the papers will promote the sinking by running a draw in which the winner gets to detonate the charge that will sink the 366-foot ship.

In Nanaimo, the Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) has met with members of the local group promoting the sinking, the Nanaimo Dive Association, to outline its concerns about sinking derelict ships. While GSA does not expect to stop the Nanaimo project, it is hopeful that the Association -- which has expressed a desire to act in an environmentally-sound manner -- will take its concerns seriously and strive to address many of them. However, rumour has it that the ARS is now pressuring the NDA to accept a 500-foot ship instead of the 366-foot Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile, in February, GSA member Claire Heffernan, of Salt Spring Island, received a Writ of Summons from the ARS -- the Society's response to an article Claire wrote for the BC Environmental Report (winter '95). Claiming that she "falsely and maliciously" wrote "defamatory words" out of "malevolence or spite" for the ARS, the Writ went on to complain about letters Claire has written to other newspapers and to elected officials. The ARS was seeking court costs and damages in the lawsuit, filed by a lawyer who is a director and chief spokesperson of the ARS.

This "legal" action was reminiscent of a lawsuit launched against GSA member Roger Lagasse of Sechelt when he raised concerns about the credibility of the local RCMP dive team -- who had been heavily involved in the sinking of the Chaudiere -- doing the sampling for Environment Canada's monitoring of the sunken ship. The suit was dropped soon after it was launched, but not before it had cost Roger considerable time and several hundred dollars in legal costs. Obviously these SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are designed not to redress any wrong, but to harass citizens who get involved in legitimate public concerns and to stop them and others from speaking out.

GSA now has a 9-page brief available on why it opposes sinking old ships as artificial reefs (available from GSA's Nanaimo office: 195 Commercial St., Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G5; or on its Web page, at Artificial Reefs). GSA can also provide a speaker and slide presentation to groups in the region.

Could Ships Sink Sanctuaries?

A concern has been voiced that derelict ship sinkings might slow or prevent the creation of marine protected areas in marine parks. Since the death of a diver in one of these ships last fall, concerns have heightened that the provincial government -- concerned with avoiding potential liability -- may be reluctant to apply protected status to a marine area with a prominent hazard. It's worth asking whether hasty actions today could pre-empt future options for real protection of the marine environment.