Canadian Coast Guard improves collaboration with local communities on incident response

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Partnerships, collaboration, and communication are key drivers to ensuring Canada has a strong safety system in place to protect our oceans. The Canadian Coast Guard is modernizing how we collaborate with coastal communities and share information about Canada's waterways.

Today, the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced $24 million in funding under the Oceans Protection Plan to implement and expand the Canadian Coast Guard's Communication Portal for Integrated Incident Response initiative across Canada. This digital tool will enable better communication, information sharing, and collaboration with partners and affected communities during on-water emergencies and exercises. The Communication Portal for Integrated Incident Response will focus on environmental response, and will later expand to include search and rescue operations and vessels of concern.

Equipping Indigenous and coastal communities across Canada with this tool will empower their capacity for safety, preparedness and response by facilitating a partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard and offering open and transparent access to information about their local waters.

The Oceans Protection Plan is a Canadian success story. When Indigenous Peoples, industry, communities, academia, and government work together to protect our environment, grow our economy, and support good jobs across the country, we deliver real results. A renewed and expanded Oceans Protection Plan will keep our oceans and coasts healthy, advance reconciliation, and build a clean future for our children and grandchildren.

Quotes

"This investment will empower local communities and the Canadian Coast Guard to better communicate with our partners to improve marine incident responses across Canada. Only through collaboration at all levels can we improve Canada's marine safety system."

The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"Thanks to the ongoing work in the Oceans Protection Plan, Indigenous Peoples and coastal communities have a greater role in preventing and preparing for emergencies to protect their communities, coasts and waterways. We are working together to make shipping safer, and to increasing protections for our marine ecosystems from the impacts of marine traffic to build a clean economy that will create the good-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport

"The Canadian Coast Guard is committed to keeping Canada's waters safe and healthy. This new funding will allow us to continue to improve our communication with coastal communities and operate even more effectively using important local knowledge and expertise."

Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard

Quick Facts

• The Communications Portal for Integrated Incident Response (CPIIR) will be a web-based tool used by the Canadian Coast Guard, Indigenous and coastal communities, and other response partners to support communication and information sharing for on-water emergencies and exercises. It will also serve as a platform for the existing Incident Command System, and enhance the participation of coastal communities in marine incident response.
• Since 2016, the Government of Canada has dedicated $3.5 billion to the Oceans Protection Plan, making it the largest investment Canada has ever made to protect its coasts and waterways.
• The funding announced today is part of the Government of Canada's Budget 2022 commitment to provide an additional $2 billion over nine years to renew Canada's Oceans Protection Plan and expand its work into new areas.
• Since the launch of the Oceans Protection Plan, the Canadian Coast Guard has:
• Trained over 4,500 staff in the internationally-recognized Incident Command System, to respond to marine accidents more quickly and effectively.
• Conducted 58 environmental response exercises across Canada to ensure effective response to marine oil spills.
• Delivered 46 environmental response training courses to 435 participants, including Indigenous communities, the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, local governments, and other partners.
• Worked with members of Indigenous communities on the West Coast to deliver training on environmental response, improving local capacity to support incident response.
• Invested in new, modern environmental response equipment across Canada, including booms, skimmers, fabric storage tanks and response trailers.
• Made Regional Operations Centres, which monitor and assess marine incidents including pollution events, operational 24/7.

Associated Links

• Protecting our coasts - Oceans Protection Plan
• Report to Canadians - Results of the Oceans Protection Plan
• Expanding the Communication Portal for Integrated Incident Response
• The Canadian Coast Guard at 60

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SOURCE Canadian Coast Guard