Abandoning a boat in Canadian waters will no longer be legal: Garneau
OTTAWA — Canada is no longer going to give a free pass to boat owners who dump their dirty old vessels in Canadian harbours and waterways.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s new Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, introduced Monday in the House of Commons, would make it illegal to abandon boats in Canada, while empowering the government to go after the owners of the 600 derelict vessels already polluting the country’s waterways.
Right now, owners who dump and run from their boats are not subject to any penalties, and some see abandoning it as the cheapest, easiest route when a boat is no longer operational, Garneau told a news conference.
“This has to stop,” he said.