Dozens of volunteers in Oak Bay hope their work clearing out derelict boats at a local beach will lead to some level of government stepping in to help.
A group of people rolled up their sleeves on Saturday at Cadboro Bay Beach and got to work, saying they were tired of waiting for the provincial or federal governments to do something about the “eyesore” on the water.
Derelict boats have been a long-standing issue in the municipality.
“A derelict boat is a magnet to kids, they’re fire hazards … and it’s a blight on a beautiful part of Victoria,” said Eric Dahli, the chairman of the Cadboro Bay Residents Association.
Several years ago it was also an issue on the Saanich side of the beach.
“We had hoped that Oak Bay would do same thing and team up with the provincial government,” Dahli said. “They did not do that so we put together a group of volunteers and said damn it we’re going to do it.”
Volunteers say the Capital Regional District contributed about $4,000 for tipping fees, but originally they had been promised more and it was pulled last minute.
Michael Darby says a barge has been on his property since 2011.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for the mess,” Darby added.
According to Oak Bay’s mayor, if a boat is on private property then it becomes the owner’s responsibility.
“We’re not doing squat,” Nils Jensen said. “We clean up the dinghies, we supply equipment to the volunteers, we have staff down there today, so we are contributing.”
He adds that Oak Bay is a small community and therefore has a smaller budget than other jurisdictions.
“We don’t have the resources of a province,” Jensen said. “We don’t have the expertise of a province or for that matter of federal government so the big players have to clean this up.”
