Canada Invests $2.5 Billion into Local Shipbuilding for the Coast Guard
Helena Jaczek, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), appeared alongside St. John’s East member of Parliament Joanne Thompson and Churence Rogers, the MP for Bonavista-Burin-Trinity in St. John’s on May 25 to announce $2.5 billion in funding to procure up to 61 vessels to renew the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) small vessel fleet.
Beyond renewing the CCG fleet, these funds will go towards strengthening Canada’s shipbuilding industry and creating jobs by allowing ...
New CCGS Life Boat in Clark’s Harbour “Much More Capable Platform”
The Canadian Coast Guard station in Clark’s Harbour has a new search and rescue life boat that is larger and faster than its predecessor.
The station took delivery of the CCGS Chedabucto Bay earlier this year, replacing the 28-year-old CCGS Clark’s Harbour.
The CCGS Chedabucto Bay is a 60-foot Bay Class search and rescue lifeboat with a maximum speed of 26 knots, equipped with advanced electronics and equipment, and self-righting capability. Launched in 1995, the CCGS Clark’s ...
Icebreaking in the Atlantic – Successes, Challenges and Words of Caution
Brad Durnford left Bay D’Espoir, Newfoundland and Labrador, when he was 17 and started at the Canadian Coast Guard College. Durnford has been with the Coast Guard now for 29 years.
He’s the ice superintendent for the Atlantic Region, which encompasses Newfoundland and Labrador (N.L.), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and half of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
From December to June, icebreakers and hovercrafts operate along Canada’s east coast from Newfound...
Locator Beacons Help Take the “Search” Out of Search and Rescue
Above: Crewmembers from the Canadian Coast Guard’s search and rescue station in Burgeo on board the CCGS Cape Edensaw. CCG submitted photos
In July, 2021, two men found themselves in distress while sailing from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and Labrador.
They were 30 nautical miles south of La Poile, on Newfoundland’s south coast, when their 38-foot sailboat began taking on water.
Mark Gould remembers that July afternoon very well. Gould is the regional supervisor ...
Marine Search and Rescue Takes a Team
Above: The MRSC St. John’s is located at the Canadian Coast Guard Atlantic regional headquarters
On Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 at 1:52 a.m., Howard Power got a call that lasted only minutes, but will stay with him for a long time.
Power could hear the panic in the voice on the other end. It was a distress call from a vessel taking on water.
“I could tell from his voice there was something wrong. You get the tone of their voice after a while. He started yelling ‘Mayday ...
Close to Home
Coast Guard Investments Bringing More than Just Safety to Coastal Communities
Canada has one of the most effective search and rescue (SAR) systems in the world.
The Canadian Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary respond to about 13 search and rescue calls, assisting 43 people and saving 13 lives a day across the country.
The Canadian Coast Guard is responsible for maritime SAR, including the coordination, control and conduct of SAR operations in addition to prevention ...
2020 Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Mandate Letter
The following is the departmental mandate letter sent to Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Thank you for agreeing to serve Canadians as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
On election day, Canadians chose to continue moving forward. From coast to coast to coast, people chose to invest in their families and communities, create good middle class jobs and fight climate change while ...
PFDs: A Regulatory Disconnect
On September 5, 2015, the fishing vessel Caledonian capsized 20 nautical miles west of Nootka Sound, British Columbia.
At the time, the vessel was trawling for hake with four crew members onboard. Following the capsizing, the master and mate climbed onto the overturned hull and remained there for several hours.
When the vessel eventually sank, the master and mate abandoned it and the mate swam toward and boarded the life raft. The Canadian Coast Guard subsequently rescued the mate and ...
When You’re in Peril on the High Seas — What Happens Behind the Scenes?
Above: A Canadian Armed Forces CH-149 Cormorant helicopter conducts the rescue of a four-person crew in a 15-metre sailboat about 240 nautical miles southeast of Halifax on December 18, 2018. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships Summerside and Glace Bay were sailing home from deployment when the rescue call came in. Photo: © 2018 DND-MDN Canada
Something has gone wrong on your vessel in the North Atlantic.
The seas are rough, the weather is uncompromising. You call for help over Coast ...
Abandoned and Wrecked Boats A Marine Hazard
The federal government estimates there are more than 600 abandoned vessels, ranging from commercial ships to recreational boats, littering Canada’s waterways and harbours.
Each of them can pose a safety risk to recreational boating and commercial vessel operators, become navigational hazards, pollute marine environments or cause significant removal costs and clean up.
The Marine Institute is working with Transport Canada, as part of its $1.3-million commitment to remove abandoned boats, ...
