An open water lot off the Vancouver Island town of Ladysmith is littered with derelict boats, a problem that has been growing over the course of a decade or so.
“Unfortunately some of the boats aren’t in the best of shape and some of them are, in fact, a hazard to the boats around them,” said community marina tenant Brian Tilley. “So it’s just been sitting there as a festering sore.”
Many of the vessels are barely afloat, but there are people living onboard of some of them, mooring for free in an area that locals refer to as the Dogpatch.
But if the town has its way, they’ll all be gone soon enough.
READ MORE: Ladysmith residents want derelict vessels out of their harbour
“Four or five weeks ago now we delivered notices to all of the vessels within the Dogpatch, over 50, to notify them that there was going to be an effort for enforcement. On those notices it did say November 15th,” said Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone.
The town plans to get the boats to move by enforcing a bylaw that only allows a maximum seven-day moorage stay.
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Because jurisdiction over the water is a difficult thing to navigate, officials say this is their only course of action.
“We’re getting calls from the community members to do something and all that we have within our power is zoning enforcement,” Stone said.
READ MORE: Plan to deal with derelict boats along B.C. coast shot down in Ottawa
It’s an issue for communities up and down B.C.’s coast. In Chemainus, massive barges barely afloat made the harbour home for years. Victoria’s Gorge waterway is a popular haven for derelict boats. Last week, three vessels in Cowichan Bay went up in flames.
Back in Ladysmith five vessels are now underwater after catching fire this past summer.
Still, there are some in the community who believe evicting tenants isn’t the answer.
“To tell human beings that they have to leave and go out and maybe float around someplace in the winter and maybe live and maybe die. That’s ridiculous,” Tilley said.
READ MORE: Residents concerned about derelict vessels in Howe Sound
Those living in the Dogpatch share the concerns. Last week they arranged to meet with officials to try and find alternative solutions. Those talks are ongoing.
“We do want to give some assurance that there’s not going to be a heavy-handed enforcement on the 15th to those people so that they can participate in this process,” said Stone.
There is an application to turn the area into a marina, which means the denizens of the Dogpatch will likely have to move on.
-With files from Kyle Stanton
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