New Shipwreck Rules For Canada

[advtech]

I just recieved information on discussions which are taking place this week. Canada is updating the Canada Shipping Act and is looking at implementing the UNESCO Conventions for Shipwrecks into it.

This could mean severe restrictions for not only new shipwrecks, but also for the ones we are currently diving.

I have posted am e-mail my wife recieved from a Parks Canada Marine Archaeologist as well as the discussion paper he sent us to a web page. They are inviting people to attend the meetings or submit coments.

It is attached to the NDA web page at http://www.vaxxine.com/nda or directly at
http://www.vaxxine.com/advtech/newrules.htm

Please take the time to read and submit coments. Ian

 

[Tom R]

It's been up on the Dive Ontario board for a couple of weeks now, I have the pdf file if anyone wants it. This is pretty important reading for any diver, it could change the way we dive or what we dive on. Read this quick because I have had several posts go astray in the last day or two.

 

[Mr Adams]

Hi

Its not going to change much as its all talk with no policing, and divers will continue to dive wrecks and keep the new ones found to them selves as we've seen, at best it Will make the lobbyist feel proud as he tells you look what i've done. I think Ontario divers are pretty good already at looking after local charterd wrecks and giving heck to those who damage them or want to borrow parts to clutter the living rooms with. The UNESCO Conventions for Shipwrecks has been active in several Caribean regions now for many years, its just to bad locals know no nothing about it, its a good name to use for raising money at best.

Mr A

 

[Ontario Diver]

I'm going to go and see what's what. This better be important because it is cutting into my time with CB.

Any one want to carpool?

 

[Limestone Diver]

Is anyone going to the meeting who will be representing preservation groups- charter associations- tourism groups etc. It would be nice if some real experts on "wreck diving" could participate.

Cliff

 

[JamesP]

Is anyone going to the meeting who will be representing preservation groups- charter associations- tourism groups etc. It would be nice if some real experts on "wreck diving" could participate.

Cliff

Hi Cliff,
Dan MacKay and Elaine Wyatt are attending and it looks like I will be able to make it down there as well. I am sure there will be others in attendance. The official meeting is tomorrow. Tonight’s meeting is being hosted by Parks Canada.

 

[artw]

I would personally like to see a copy of the meeting minutes - nobody from SOS ottawa or 1000 islands is going (afaik)

 

[Marvintpa]

For anyone interested in knowing how the first meeting went: it was attended by approximately 19 people, largely representing groups such as POW, GLUE, OUC, NDA, and SOS. There were representatives from Parks Canada and from Transportation Canada who are in charge of the Canada Shipping Act, which today's (Wed) meeting appears to be all about. The meeting ran until nearly 11 pm.

The main focus of the presentation by Parks Canada concerned the UNESCO convention to protect sites of Underwater Cultural Heritage, and how its guidelines can be adopted to fit in Canada. The attitude from the Parks Canada reps was that it won't have much affect on Ontario divers because 1) the UNESCO convention is tartegeted at and concerns only oceans, not inland waters like the Great Lakes 2) existing legislation in Ontario which already protects wrecks.

The goal of the legislation is clearly to protect sites of Underwater Cultural Heritage such as shipwrecks and planes (a good thing) but the way that would happen was not entirely clear, and guaranteed access to wrecks was far from assured, which raised the temperature in the room (only slightly, afterall, we are Canadian) a few times.

As advertized, the meeting was an informal opportunity to voice opinions about the legislation and let the powers-that-be know what the concerns are from the diving industry. People were advised to bring their concerns (like guaranteed wreck access) up at the "official" meeting happening today. There will be approximately seven dive group representatives from last night's meeting which will also be attending today. Hopefully one of them will be able to give us a recap of how it goes.

There was virtually no discussion about the permit system (other than a comment that the current one doesn't work too well) or the proposed costs.

Since this was an informal meeting, no official minutes were taken (that I know of). There will be another meeting just like this one happening in Ottawa in November for those who did not get to attend this one.

One of the major points of contention was the lack of communication with the stakeholders that this meeting was even occuring, and that most of those in attendence learned about it only by the efforts of SOS Toronto president Elaine Wyatt.

 

[Tom R]

I would personally like to see a copy of the meeting minutes - nobody from SOS ottawa or 1000 islands is going (afaik)

In the POW section of the Dive Ontario Board

 

[Mr Adams]

This all sounds just as complicated and costly as trying to get a war ship sunk for you guys, what will be the end result of this other than making charter operators pay for operating over heritage sites, there goes your profits ching chong.

Mr A