MP Gord Johns raised the issue of destaffing west coast lightkeepers during question period in the House of Common last week.
“Will the Liberals pause this plan, do the proper consultation and invest in keeping coast people safe?” asked the NDP member of Parliament for Courtenay-Alberni.
The Canadian Coast Guard announced in July that it was removing lightkeepers from the Pachena Point and Carmanah Point lightstations before heavy weather arrives this winter.
“This decision puts lives at risk and was made without consulting First Nations, labour, mariners or local communities,” Johns said.
The two Vancouver Island lighthouses “sit between the West Coast Trail, which sees thousands of hikers per year and the Graveyard of the Pacific, a famously treacherous stretch of water,” he said.
“Automating these lighthouses simply won’t suffice.”
The coast guard has said that aids to navigation are remaining.
It said that geotechnical studies showed that the ground was unstable and did not meet federal safety standards.
Critics of the decision say the stations have stood for many decades, that new buildings could go up on safe ground and that the studies are old. They say that lightkeepers help mariners and hikers in large and small incidents and are essential to safety along the coast.
Mike Kelloway, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, said, “We’re aware of the cultural and historical significance of the lighthouses along the West Coast Trail.”
After an engineering investigation and assessment this year, the Canadian Coast Guard determined the locations were no longer suitable for personnel to operate them safely, he said.
The original geotechnical report and hazard assessment and a subsequent report based on that information have not been publicly released.
“The safety and well-being of the Canadian coastal personnel is our top priority,” Kelloway said.
“We will continue to ensure that the aids to navigation in these areas remain functional and continue to protect mariners and coastal communities.”
