Campaigns & Issues

Safe at Sea?

Working out on the open sea can be seriously dangerous – and the last thing anyone needs is for it to become even more dangerous.

But this is the direction the federal government is pushing – by cutting marine communication centres, the very places and people who respond to emergency calls and events.

Earlier this year, the Conservative government announced it would be closing 10 Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Services centres across the country. The closures will be phased in through 2014 and 2015, but the centre in Inuvik, NWT closed in October 2012.

The closures are taking place in some of the country’s busiest marine areas: St. John's, NL; St. Anthony, NL; Saint John, NB; Rivière au Renard, QC; Montreal, QC; Thunder Bay, ON; Vancouver, BC; Tofino, BC; Comox, BC and Inuvik, NT.

The closure of the marine communications stations will only delay and hamper response times, when minutes can mean life or death. The officers at these centres are the first point of contact for mariners. This work cannot be replicated remotely.

Send a letter to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans now to ask the government to reverse the decision to close the MCTS centres!

Send a letter to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans now to ask the government to reverse the decision to close the MCTS centres!

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The Message:

Dear

I’m writing to voice my grave concern about the planned closures of 10 Marine Communications and Traffic Services centres across the country.

The Canadian government has an obligation to safeguard the lives of Canadians and not take irresponsible actions that will, without a doubt, to endanger them.

A rapid response to sea-borne emergencies has been proven as the best way to save lives. Closing these MCTS centres will create an unnecessary increase risk of accidents involving passenger ships, ferries, tankers carrying crude oil and dangerous cargo.

It also increases the risk of sea travel, since officers will be busier and calls for help may go unheard over a vast geographic region.

This decision to close the MCTS centres in some of the country’s busiest marine centres will certainly have a negative impact on the lives of mariners and the nearby communities.

I’m asking that the government take immediate action to reverse the decision to close the following communications centres -
• St. John's, NL
• St. Anthony, NL
• Saint John, NB
• Rivière au Renard, QC
• Montreal, QC
• Thunder Bay, ON
• Vancouver, BC
• Tofino, BC
• Comox, BC
• Inuvik, NT

Failing to take action is nothing short of grossly irresponsible. Please speak up and against these dangerous cuts, which will place lives and the environment at risk.

Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Sincerely,

This message will be emailed to:

Keith Ashfield - Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Gail Shea - Acting Minister of Fisheries
Robert Chisholm - NDP Fisheries Critic
Lawrence Macaulay - Liberal Fisheries Critic
Marc Gregoire - Canadian Coast Guard Commissioner