What types of services should Coast Guard be responsible for, and what should be left up to either other agencies or even private industry?
That’s a question being raised, as the controversy over the closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard base continues.
Only 36 calls responded to by the Kits base last year were for maritime distress.
Coast Guard’s Pacific Acting Director for Maritime Services – David Heap – says over 195 were for non-distress calls, with no risk to life and safety.
“Vessels with motors have problems… people do run out of gas… sometimes people just simply get lost or the weather sets in and they can’t quite get a fix of where they’re at.”
But Heap says there are businesses which provide vessel assist services – similar to roadside assistance for vehicles.
40 of the calls last year were for humanitarian distress – which includes distraught people jumping from bridges… something that falls under provincial or municipal jurisdiction.
About The Reporter
