Press Release
From: Canadian Coast Guard
November 23, 2022
Ottawa, Ontario – 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
Associated links
Contacts
Kevin Lemkay
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
613-992-3474
Kevin.Lemkay@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Media Relations
Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
613-990-7537
Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
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