Band vows to fight second artificial reef

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The Sechelt Indian Band is promising to take action if the Sunshine Coast is chosen for the creation of a second artificial reef.

"We were taken advantage of with the last application, this time we are going to be more prepared," said Calvin Craigan, councillor with the Sechelt Indian Band. "If it's within our traditional boundaries we will have a lot to say."

Craigan's comments follow the Artificial Reef Society of B.C.'s announcement that it is investigating locations off the coast for the sinking of another vessel, despite the overwhelming negative response from the band and environment groups.

Although the organization has not determined exactly where it intends to sink a vessel, sources within the society say it is considering South Thormanby Island and areas north and south of Fraser and Egerton Rocks.

Larry Baillie, owner of Georgia Strait Diving Charters, said the society has the HMCS Cape Breton in mind for sinking. The ship is 156 meters long, 18 meters wide and 25.5 meters high, and was previously used as a maintenance and supply ship during the Second World War.

"If we get a second artificial reef we are going to be diving capital of the world," he said.

Baillie has made 20 trips down to the Chaudiere artificial reef and insists that the vessel had only had positive effects on the environment. Concerns were previously expressed by opponents of the sinking that the ship would negatively affect marine life.

Baillie said the ship is now the home of rock cod, octopus, sea urchins, giant mussels and other sea creatures.

"There is nothing in there, in my eyes, that is environmentally hazardous," he added. "The Chaudiere has proven to me it is not harming a thing, it is improving sea life."

Nevertheless, the Sechelt Indian Band has made it clear that sinking a vessel to augment recreation amenities on the coast is a violation of its beliefs.

"Anything that is not natural to our environment is putting it in jeopardy," Craigan said.

"They've got to violate Mother Nature every time they do something like this...it's unnatural."

The band fought against the sinking of the Chaudiere Dec. 5, 1992 but had its court injunction rejected by the B.C. Supreme Court one day before the vessel was sent to the bottom of Kunechin Bay.

Laurie McBride, a director with the Save Georgia Strait Alliance, was not overly impressed with the society's decision to seek a second reef and may propose that the alliance join with the band to stop it.

"I would hope that we could work together on it," she said.

McBride's concern is with the Ministry of Environment's policy of creating artificial reefs, and the timing of studies on the Chaudiere's impact on the environment.

"One of the things we had done with the last one was we had a marine salvage expert go on board and do a full report on the condition of the ship," she said.

"Along with the report we got 60 or so photographs that he took of the ship and it is very damning the condition that ship was in before it went down."