Coast guard issues first-ever fine for abandoned vessel in Victoria
The Canadian Coast Guard has issued its first fine against the owner of a derelict and abandoned vessel under a federal law that took effect four years ago.
A statement from the coast guard says the agency levied a fine of $15,000 against the owner of a boat that was grounded and abandoned in Cadboro Bay, near Victoria.
The owner of the Akoo, an eight-metre cabin cruiser, was fined on June 27 and is required to either pay the fine or apply for a review hearing with the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada within 30 days.
The coast guard says the fine was issued after the vessel owner failed to comply with the agency's orders to remove the wrecked boat from the area.
The fine was the first time the coast guard exercised its authority to issue a monetary penalty under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, which became law in July 2019.
The coast guard says it responded to the Akoo several times in recent months, including when the vessel first drifted ashore.
The agency says the vessel discharged pollution into the water and began to deteriorate, posing a public safety hazard.
More than 2,000 wrecked or abandoned boats have been reported to the coast guard since it implemented a national inventory of problem vessels, with the majority of those vessels reported in British Columbia.
The agency says the federal government has funded nearly 500 projects to remove problem vessels from Canadian marine areas since 2016.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving 'corrective action' for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Ottawa police investigating death of a gosling in Kanata
Ottawa police are investigating after someone allegedly stomped on a gosling in Kanata. Police say it appears that Canada geese laid eggs in the area, 'and on May 21, a suspect stomped on one of the hatched babies.'
Treasury Board president urges managers to be flexible on exemptions for new 3-day office mandate
The president of the Treasury Board is standing by the federal government's new hybrid office mandate for federal public servants, but is urging managers to be flexible for staff requiring exemptions.