Trudeau orders DFO to reopen Coast Guard base in Vancouver

A sailboat and water taxi pass a Coast Guard vessel moored at the Coast Guard's Kitsilano Station in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday May 18, 2012. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Vancouver’s mayor and the B.C. premier are applauding the prime minister for making good on his promise to re-open the closed Kitsilano Coast Guard base.

Justin Trudeau’s directive to put the shuttered base back in business came in the form of a mandate letter sent to the new Department of Fisheries and Oceans minister on Friday.

“I’m delighted,” Christy Clark told CTV Vancouver. “I fought for that Coast Guard base to be reopened. We fought hard and lost that battle.”

The base was shut down in 2013 under the Conservatives, which prompted a massive outcry from officials and the public alike over concerns about the region’s ability to respond quickly in marine emergencies.

Clark says the base is an important part of search and rescue efforts, and being able to utilize it will translate into faster response times.

“We will get there quicker, we will be able to save lives… and we need that capacity,” she said.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson echoed the premier’s sentiment, saying local waters and the harbour will be much safer.

“The Kitsilano Coast Guard Base had been one of the most important public safety resources for Vancouver and our harbour,” Robertson said in a statement.

“This direction by the Prime Minister shows that the new federal government takes Vancouver’s voices very seriously and is committed to enhancing safety in our local waters.”

The base responds to more than 300 calls each year, making it one of the busiest bases in all of North America.

Vancouver has been forced to rely on a “hodgepodge” of responders since Kits shut down its operation, said City Councillor Kerry Jang.

“We had to rely on private contractors. We had to send the police boat. We know people were put at risk,” he told CTV Vancouver.

Jang said while it’s unclear when the base will open its doors, the city is ready to jump into action to assist.

“Our staff are gearing up to help the Coast Guard any way we can to get it open as quickly as we can,” he said.

In his letter to new Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo, Trudeau called re-opening the Kits base, as well as the Maritime Rescue Sub-centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a “top priority.”

Tootoo was also directed to follow the recommendations of the Cohen Commission on restoring sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser River.

Trudeau also told Tootoo to work with other ministers to formalize the moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s North Coast, including the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait, and Queen Charlotte Sound.