Two months with Vancouver's washed-up barge: Are removal plans stuck?
Two months after a runaway barge got stuck on Vancouver’s shores during a series of historic storms, plans to recover the vessel remain on the rocks.
“The removal is a complex issue, with several factors to consider in addition to tide levels, including safety, security and environmental protection,” Transport Canada’s Sau Sau Liu wrote in an email to CTV News.
Following several failed attempts to remove the barge, it remains grounded between English Bay and Sunset Beach, where it first parked on Nov. 15, 2021. It’s gained celebrity status to the point that, as recently as Sunday, “Barge on the Beach” T-shirts were selling for $20 each on the nearby seawall.
Transport Canada reiterated Monday that the owner is responsible for removing the vessel. CTV News reached out to Sentry Marine Towing Ltd several times for comment, with no success.
“It’s a complex situation,” said the City of Vancouver’s Jeannine Guérette, mimicking the language from federal officials. “Many considerations are being taken into account including safety and environmental protection."
The city is tracking all costs related to the barge, and plans to bill the owner for reimbursement, Guérette added.
In the meantime, one Canada Research Chair professor warned the barge could put nearby ecosystems at risk.
“There’s surely chemicals on board that could leach out, and the amount of rust that could occur in salt water over a couple of months is probably enough to affect nearby ecosystems,” said Kai Chan, a professor at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES).
Many problems like this, Chan argued, comes down to a lack of transparency with environmental data.
“We’re just left completely in the dark,” said Chan, adding that Transport Canada has a lot of problems to solve in B.C. “It’s amazing how long governments can let crap like this go on. If it’s not killing anybody, it’s the kind of thing they can ignore for years and years.”
The barge has also renewed discussions over reconciliation efforts, in the wake of Vancouver’s park board putting up a temporary “Barge Chilling Beach” sign in the area on Dec.15.
Someone spray-painted the word “Í7iy̓el̓shn,” which social media users identified as a local Indigenous name for the area, onto the sign on Jan. 3, and again this past weekend. On Twitter, members of the Indigenous community explained why the park board's sign isn’t amusing for everyone.
“This barge sign was a fun joke but the work of decolonizing isn’t fun, it’s been harmful to be Indigenous to Vancouver yet utterly erased,” Ginger Gosnell-Myers, a fellow with SFU’s Urban Indigenous Policy/Planning, wrote after the first graffiti incident. Vancouver has faced growing calls to post signage acknowledging and reflecting traditional Indigenous names in the city.
Following the same incident, Vancouver Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung tweeted, “I’m so fed up. This sign was a small thing that provided some levity & smiles during a tough time. We need more kindness, not the opposite."
Depending on who is asked, the barge is a perceived affront to reconciliation; a silly backdrop for selfies and marriage proposals; a stark reminder of climate change sticking out like a sore thumb in downtown Vancouver.
Or, as the city puts it, it's a "complex situation" that’s short on solutions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Russia reports downing 5 Ukrainian military balloons in Kyiv's latest apparent war innovation
Russian air defences downed what authorities described as five Ukrainian balloons overnight, the defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday, as the sides kept up long-range strikes that have featured heavily in what has largely become a war of attrition.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Frustrated farmers are rebelling against EU rules. The far right is stoking the flames
Mainstream political parties failed to act on European farmers' complaints for decades, one farmer says. Now the radical right is stepping in.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.