Two lightstations on Vancouver Island’s west coast now have no lightkeepers, but critics say the fight against destaffing will go on.
On the weekend, the relocation of lightkeepers at Pachena Point and Carmanah Point lightstations was completed, which involved “intricate coordination of available helicopters and [Canadian Coast Guard] vessels,” Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesperson Alexandra Coutts said in an email. The Fisheries Department is responsible for the Canadian Coast Guard
“Furniture and personal items were lifted by helicopters and transported to Canadian Coast Guard vessels,” Coutts said. The ship then transported the items to either land for moving by truck, or to the new lightstations where the lightkeepers will be employed.
The coast guard announced the destaffing decision at the end of July, citing engineering studies that showed buildings at the stations might be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake because of unstable soil.
Coutts said as nationally designated heritage sites, the heritage buildings and two light towers on the sites will remain in place and under the purview of DFO, and the lights at both stations will continue to work as aids to navigation.
“Automated lights have been in place and have worked effectively at both stations since 2003,” she said.
But hikers, mariners, former lightkeepers, some First Nations, the Union of B.C. Municipalities, federal NDP MPs, the union representing lightkeepers and others have spoken out in opposition to the destaffing plan. Many, including First Nations, have said they were never consulted.
They say that mariners, pilots and hikers on the adjacent West Coast Trail count on lightkeepers who maintain the stations, assist and care for injured hikers, provide weather reports and more.
Some have warned that it’s the beginning of a plan to destaff other lightstations.
Barry Tchir, vice-president for the Pacific region for the Canadian Union of Transportation Employees, which represents lightkeepers, said he is set to meet with the deputy commissioner of the coast guard to discuss the decision.
He said the union will argue that coast guard officials did not interpret engineering reports on the lightstations correctly and did not do their homework prior to making the destaffing decision.
Tchir noted that the assessment of risk factors at the stations was based on a 2018 report and no additional on-site work has been carried out since then
The findings were not brought by the coast guard to any established health and safety committees for feedback from the union, Tchir said. The coast guard “just made this decision on their own and I think they overreacted and they panicked.”
While the coast guard has expressed concerns about the safety of keepers, Tchir questioned why, if the agency was worried, it waited until six years after the 2018 report to take action.
Tchir noted that while the reports highlight concerns about certain buildings at the stations in the event of a major earthquake, there are other buildings that fall into what is called the “broadly acceptable” category of safety.
He fears that the buildings at the stations may be left to deteriorate and in a few years it will be too late to repair them.
If the coast guard is basing its decision on what might happen in a major earthquake and tsunami, then its regional headquarters on Huron Street in James Bay would be at risk as well, he said.
Although Pachena and Carmanah keepers have accepted other positions, they would prefer to remain at the stations where they’ve been working, said Tchir, adding keepers notice problems such as automated lights not operating properly.
Jim Abram, a former lightkeeper who successfully fought destaffing plans in past years, has been lobbying federal officials to discuss the situation and is hoping the issue will reach the prime minister.
It’s clear that the coast guard has not fulfilled its obligation to carry out meaningful consultation before making changes at the lightstations, Abram said.
The coast guard has said it will conduct a consultative process but went ahead with destaffing because of safety concerns.
Abram expects that the keepers who move to new stations will be bumping others from their jobs because of seniority. Some keepers may be temporary or casual employees and would not see their terms renewed.
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