Calls to keep lighthouse keepers at 2 stations on Vancouver Island

There are calls for the federal government to rescind an order that’s set to pull lighthouse keepers from duty at two stations along Vancouver Island’s famous West Coast Trail.

“We’d like the minister to rescind the order to de-staff and open up some proper consultations to look at the options,” says Barry Tchir, regional vice-president of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees.

The Canadian Coast Guard announced July 31 that the Carmanah Point and Pachena Point light stations won’t be staffed by people come winter, due to safety concerns.

In a statement to CTV News, the special operating agency says an engineering investigation found the stations are vulnerable due to soil conditions and the slope could fail in a large earthquake.

“The report recommends some mitigation options but doesn’t talk about the removing of the keepers,” says Tchir. “Our look at it is that the keepers are at the lowest risk possible.”

The union says the lighthouse keepers want to stay.

Huu-ay-aht First Nations is also advocating for consultation – saying the keepers play an important safety role on land and at sea.

“Out on the water, I would feel safer if it was manned,” says councillor ƛicitatḥ – Edward Johnson. “There was an incident where my father capsized out on the water and if it wasn’t for a lighthouse keeper checking the weather."

The keeper "happened to be out on the lawn at the lighthouse and saw my father’s boat capsized," he added. "All it took was a quick call to the Bamfield Coast Guard and they were there within minutes.”

The Coast Guard says there are 25 other light stations along British Columbia’s coast that will continue with normal staffing operations. At the Carmanah and Pachena stations, there are also plans to use technology for navigational aids such as solar panels and automated lights.

“The monitoring of the stations is done by the light keeper,” says Tchir. “If the light goes out, if something happens to the light the only people that’ll be able to tell you is the light keeper that is there, who won’t be there now, or a mariner or somebody travelling through will go ‘hey the light’s out’ and somebody will have to come out and fix it.”

The Canadian Coast Guard says that when it comes to the safety of hikers, the light keepers have been “good neighbours” for years but that it’s a Parks Canada responsibility.

CCG says data over nine years show the light keepers at Carmanah Point have been involved in three marine-related Search and Rescue cases. In two of them, the keeper was listed as reporting an incident. In the third, they were listed as being available if they were needed.

CCG says there are no records indicating light keepers at Pachena Point have been involved in marine search and rescues over the same time period.