Vancouver Island ship dismantling company has water access revoked

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 4:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A shipbreaking institution successful the Comox Valley connected Vancouver Island has just had its entree to the water unopen down. 

The provincial authorities has cancelled the crown lease of Deep Water Recovery, a institution that takes isolated derelict vessels successful Union Bay, southbound of Comox. 

The state said successful a connection that the determination is to "protect the nationalist interest." 

"Deep Water Recovery has not demonstrated the level of regulatory compliance, operational responsibility, oregon biology stewardship required to warrant entrusting them with the usage of Crown onshore to alteration absorption and dismantling of end-of-life vessels," said the statement. 

The institution has faced scrutiny and contention successful the past aft receiving a stop-pollution bid for allowing toxic effluent runoff into the surrounding marine environment.

Daniel Arbour, Comox Valley Regional District Director, says helium was amazed and relieved by the decision. 

"This is an contented that has been going connected for rather a fewer years, and it was unthinkable to spot this benignant of decisive enactment from the province," said Arbour. 

The territory is besides attempting to halt the institution operating successful Union Bay, saying it was contravening bylaws by dismantling barges astatine the site. 

Arbour says portion the institution  owns the onshore it operates on, losing entree to the h2o is simply a measurement successful the close direction. 

"To spot the state measurement successful connected the h2o is decidedly precise consequential, I deliberation for the semipermanent prospects of the company." 

Arbour said that portion shipbreaking needs to happen, it should beryllium done successful a harmless and liable way, adding that Canadian regulations astir shipbreaking are anemic and should beryllium stricter.

Concerned citizens celebrate

Residents who person been monitoring the institution had formed a group, the Concerned Citizens of Baynes Sound.

President Ian Munro told Chek News members of the radical consciousness vindicated fixed the enactment that's been taken. 

"It's a large step, you know, that we person the authorities saying this tin nary longer continue," helium said.

CBC News has reached retired to Deep Water Recovery for comment.