MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) will be hosting a public town hall, Let’s Safeguard the Salish Sea, to update constituents on Parks Canada’s development of a National Marine Conservation Area for the southern Salish Sea and the freighter anchorages issue.
The town hall will be held at the Mill Bay Community Hall on Thursday, Aug. 18 from 6-8 p.m. and will also be streamed live on Facebook. Attendees can find more information and RSVP on MacGregor’s website.
An expert panel, including representatives from Parks Canada, local First Nations and community stakeholders, will be in attendance to provide updates from their unique perspectives.
“Nearly two years ago, I invited constituents to join me for a virtual town hall to discuss the issue of freighter anchorages in the Salish Sea,” said MacGregor. “Regretfully, coastal residents, local First Nations and conservation groups continue to plead with Transport Canada and the Vancouver Port Authority to find solutions to this problem. A National Marine Conservation Area for the Salish Sea would be monumental in the fight against these anchorages and I am excited to help bring forward new information, directly from Parks Canada, on this project.”
In 2020, MacGregor introduced Private Member’s Bill C-250, which aimed to prohibit large freighters from anchoring in the waters to be designated as a future NMCA, and which have been recognized by the federal government as worth protecting as a part of this process. He looks forward to re-introducing the bill later this year.
“It’s a shame that I find myself saying this again,” said MacGregor. “If the federal government values these waters enough to establish a National Marine Conservation Area, then they also deserve protection from being used as an overflow industrial parking lot for the Port of Vancouver. I’m excited to again meet with my constituents to hear what they have to say on this issue and ensure their voices are heard in Ottawa.”
Constituents can email questions for panelists in advance to Alistair.macgregor.c1d@parl.gc.ca. All emailed questions must to be sent no later than 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 17.