It may still be falling on deaf ears, but yet another plea has been made for the federal government to reconsider shutting down Vancouver’s Marine Communications Centre.
Allan Hughes with CAW local 2182 insists both lives and the environment are at risk, but it remains unclear who will be held responsible if someone dies in the Port of Vancouver.
“That would probably be for a coroner’s inquest to investigate whether or not there was liability on the part of the Crown, ship owner, was it the people operating the vessel. The Marine Liability Act actually puts a price tag on a life and most carriers have insurance obviously for that.”
He says the reliance on technology out of Victoria, especially using cameras poses its own concerns.
“You will no longer be able to see the harbour. There are radar-blind areas.”
Hughes says that could create dangerous situations.
“Last thing you want is a pilot on a ship having to do a crash stop while passing underneath the Second Narrows bridge because they didn’t that vessel was there.”
Hughes says the closures of the Vancouver, Comox and Tofino centres are all slated to happen within the next three years.
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