The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees says the federal government is closing boating safety offices in BC.
Pacific Region director Dave Clark says the offices supply safety courses, licences, and safe operation advice.
“Boating safety is actually going off to Ottawa I guess this is one more of their bringing boating safety bringing rescue centres to Ottawa off the ocean.”
Sources say the Victoria and Kelowna offices of boating safety will close and Vancouver’s office will be trimmed down but Transport Canada hasn’t yet confirmed that.
Clark says a handful of jobs are on the block.
“It is not a lot of jobs it is about five but they are being offered jobs from Ottawa.”
But he says the Burrard street office of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is also being whacked.
“We have all of the affected letters it all depends on … there is two different components in there so there is in the hundreds of affected letters in the actual building.”
Clark says the union is opposing the cuts.
“We are disputing most of the cuts that are not realistic we understand the mandate of this government is to do cuts but we are calling into question when the cuts affect the actual public.”
He says the government says they will offer the services of the boating safety offices via the internet.
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