A company called Deep Water Recovery caused a stir in Union Bay, B.C. after it transformed a former log sort into a site to dismantle derelict vessels and sell them for parts. The Discourse is wading into the complex world of shipbreaking and calls for better regulation in British Columbia.
Q&A: Lawyer speaks on groundbreaking Anti-SLAPP case against Union Bay shipbreaking company
‘The message is out that the civil courts should not be used to suppress the right to free expression unless there is a solid overriding reason to do so,’ lawyer says.
Union Bay locals await next steps after controversial shipbreaking lease cancelled
Critics say Deep Water Recovery’s lease cancellation a good first step, but want more robust shipbreaking regulations in Canada.
Deep Water Recovery fined more than $46K in relation to effluent discharge into Baynes Sound
The company continues to argue it is not polluting, but the province says otherwise.
Deep Water Recovery executives say shipbreaking operations aren’t polluting Union Bay
“I just want to be left alone to run my business,” said Robert Bohn Senior, one of Deep Water Recovery’s owners.
Acute levels of effluent discharged into Baynes Sound by Union Bay shipbreaking operation
Community members continue to rally against Deep Water Recovery as the company receives another warning letter from the province.
Union Bay blogger’s car and home vandalized
Union Bay resident alleges the vandalism is connected to her being vocally opposed to a shipbreaking operation or a nearby development.
Government action could shut down shipbreaking in Union Bay, lawyer says
‘They’ve had the tools all the way along, and they’ve chosen not to use them,’ Carla Conkin says.
International NGO calls for a halt to shipbreaking operation in Union Bay
“At all costs, avoid using a natural shore to carry out operations like they are doing right now,” said Nicola Mulinaris, senior communications and policy advisor for NGO Shipbreaking Platform.
Deep Water Recovery receives out of compliance warning after failing to submit reports to province
An April 22 warning from the province says Deep Water Recovery missed deadlines to submit reports to the province after being ordered to stop ship-breaking pollution in Baynes Sound.
A timeline of major shipbreaking events in Union Bay
Deep Water Recovery has been breaking ships in Baynes Sound since late 2020, and has left a trail of court cases, a pollution abatement order, and loud opposition from the community.
B.C. orders a stop to ship-breaking pollution in Union Bay
The latest regulatory action reveals cracks in the complex regime that governs Deep Water Recovery’s operations.
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