New marine search and rescue vessel arrives on northern Vancouver Island
After months of eagerly awaiting resources to respond to mariner emergencies, members of the Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' First Nation were excited to spot the new Search and Rescue vessel's arrival on May 18.
Since 2021 Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' and the Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary (CNCCA) have been working together to get a SAR vessel in their community. In January construction began on the vessel in Sidney, B.C.
Elizabeth Jack, the Emergency Preparedness coordinator for Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h', received photo updates of the boat throughout its construction, observing that, “it's so awesome to see the shape of the boat coming out of sheet metal.”
“I think it's a really good vessel to have considering how remote we are and due to lack of resources that we have in and around our community,” said Jack.
The closest coast guard station to Kyuquot is based in Tofino, said Jack. She estimates it would take four to seven hours, depending on weather, to respond in Kyuquot Sound.
“With us having this vessel in our community, we're there for all distress calls that are within the Kyuquot Sound,” said Jack.
Throughout the preparation period, a number of volunteers have been trained with Canadian Coast Guard's Rigid Hull Inflatable Operator Training and Coxswain training level one, making them equipped to respond to emergencies.
Jack said that the team holds a diverse skill set important for emergencies on the water.
“In the event of an emergency, we'll be there in probably less than an hour,” said Jack.
The new search and rescue vessel is shown. (Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary/Facebook)Only eight days after the arrival of their SAR vessel, would they be on the water responding to their first call when a locals' boat broke down. Jack and her husband towed the broken-down boat back with the SAR vessel.
“I can't believe it's here,” said Jack.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.