Carney announces $1.2 billion ocean protection investment during stop in North Vancouver
The federal government is investing $1.2 billion to better protect Canada’s oceans.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the “historic” investment during a press conference at the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver Tuesday.
“Ocean conservation must go hand-in-hand with our ambitious agenda to build Canada strong,” Carney said.
The funding for conservation efforts and protections comes as the country moves towards more marine traffic, with the federal government investing an unrelated $10 billion to transform Canadian shipping infrastructure, including the Port of Vancouver.
Tuesday’s $1.2 billion investment will go towards ocean conservation efforts protecting marine life, marine safety and preparedness and advancing Indigenous conservation work.
Ottawa is investing over $740 million over four years towards ocean conservation. This includes advancing marine science, expanding the Canadian Coast Guard’s capacity to monitor marine traffic and stretch radio coverage.
Another $136 million will go towards whale protection, including a national marine mammal oil spill response plan and long-term capacity to monitor underwater noise across Canada’s oceans.
“Whales in Canada’s coastal waters live by sound. It’s how they find food, their family,” Carney said. “That means a loud ship can be disorienting, deafening and dangerous.”
The feds are also pitching in $186 million over five years in the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework Agreement with the B.C. government and 18 First Nations. The agreement will help strengthen collaborative governance, conservation and emergency preparedness, Carney said.
The region stretches from the top of Vancouver Island to the Alaskan border.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) chairperson Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams) said the agreement is a major positive step forward, empowering Indigenous leaders.
“It really opens the door,” Williams said after Tuesday’s announcement. “We’re not just acknowledged, but we’re part of the plan. Being a North Van/West Van resident all my life, it’s very comforting knowing that they’re looking out for our Salish Sea and protecting the life that’s in there.”
During his speech, Carney said barely one per cent of Canada’s waters were protected a decade ago. Today, that number is 17 per cent, with an aim to reach 30 per cent by 2030.
Earlier Tuesday, Carney was in Vancouver to mark a significant milestone as LNG Canada reached a final investment decision on its Phase 2 expansion project in Kitimat, B.C.
“Today’s investment in LNG Canada 2 will make LNG the second-largest facility of its kind in the world. It will create thousands of new jobs,” he said. “It will connect low-cost, low-carbon Canadian energy to global markets, providing the secure supply our partners in Asia and Europe need.”
The $33 billion private sector investment will create more than 4,000 jobs at the liquefied natural gas export terminal.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News.