“This decision puts lives at risk and was made without consulting First Nations, labour, mariners or local communities,” Johns told MPs during question period.
MP Gord Johns raised the issue of destaffing west coast lightkeepers during question period in the House of Common last week.
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. 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.The coast guard has said that aids to navigation are remaining.
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.
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Island NDP MP Gord Johns sees strong support for keeping lightstations openThe Canadian Coast Guard, part of the federal Fisheries Department, has announced it is planning to remove a total of four lightkeepers from two stations, one at Pachena Point and the other at Carmanah Point, both on the West Coast Trail.
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Island NDP MP Gord Johns sees strong support for keeping lightstations openThe Canadian Coast Guard, part of the federal Fisheries Department, has announced it is planning to remove a total of four lightkeepers from two stations, one at Pachena Point and the other at Carmanah Point, both on the West Coast Trail.
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