In 2004 there were 22 boats moored in Brentwood Bay. Ten years later in 2014 there were 79 moored boats and today there are over 100. In 2017 Central Saanich Council approved a management plan for moorings in the bay with overwhelming public support. It has never been implemented. The reason cited is unacceptable conditions imposed on the District by the Province of BC.
SIPS, with the Saanich Peninsula Environment Coalition (SPEC), requested West Coast Environmental Law to make a legislative review so we could all better understand who is responsible for what when it comes to moorings. The excellent, concise six-page summary was completed July 16 2024 and you can read it here.
Meanwhile the CRD Environment Services Committee discussed moorings at their January 2024 meeting which can be viewed here. Every municipality and area represented at the meeting reported similar urgent issues to those in Brentwood Bay.
Action is being urgently discussed at Cadboro Bay (part of which is in Saanich and the remainder in Oak Bay) by Songhees First Nation, Royal Victoria Yacht Club and the two municipalities. Read about it here.
Some of the issues that might be addressed by managing moorings include:
- Derelict and abandoned vessels
- Protection of environmental values of the seabed including eel grass
- Financial liability
- Sewage pollution
- Navigation and safety, and
- Community issues (parking, garbage, noise)
