Maritime Awards Society of Canada

A Call to Action—Investing in our Ocean Infrastructure
January 2009 | Horseshoe Bay Marine Group

1. OVERVIEW

: Canada needs an Ocean Grand Strategy and needs to develop and invest in its ocean infrastructure now.

Canada is the world’s largest costal Nation. Canada recently in amendments to the Arctic Water Pollution Prevention Act, has extended waters under Canadian jurisdiction to over 500,000 square kilometers.  Canada has a coastline of 244,000 kilometers and the marine area under Canadian jurisdiction is equivalent to 50 percent of the land mass of Canada. Ocean issues in Canada live in a wide number of Federal government departments which take a functional approach to jurisdictions. It is a patchwork quilt of legislation. It is not dissimilar to how other coast nations mange marine resources and marine activities.

Climate change is rapidly changing how we view the world. Our oceans and their cost effective management and regulation is key to Canada’s interests and economic future. For example, the Arctic is an ocean issue. The time to invest in ocean infrastructure is now. However, this requires a clear ocean focus. Canada needs a grand strategy for its oceans. This must bring together all the interested federal agencies and the private sector. This is both a challenge and opportunity for Canada. Investments today will pay off in the future and solidify Canada’s interests in the world.

The Ocean Management Research Network (OMRN) is ideally poised to sow the seeds for an ocean grand Strategy for Canada. This will require a holistic approach to ocean issues. The Scoping Study is merely a vehicle to move this issue forward. OMRN location in the nation’s capital is identically suited to act as a thought leader and catalyst and mobilize opinion with the political, academic, governments and media and raise ocean infrastructure among ordinary Canadians.

By establishing a Grand Strategy Approach to Canada’s Oceans and establishing a collaborative style of embracing all those interested in Canada’s oceans’ futures, the OMRN would both serve Canada in an important and vital way help build Oceans in a broad context into the Nation’s fiber.

Great things start with small steps and the OMRN would coordinate a series of workshops on this subject with a broad range of policy makers in Ottawa to develop a position paper on an ocean grand strategy in a collaborative fashion. The process is as important as the end product. In a time of change which we are presently witnessing the time to start is now. This would serve to unify the ocean sector away from its sectorial shilos. The time for action is now.

2. COSTS

The HBMG would develop a scoping study and coordinate a series of workshops and discussion paper to advance the Ocean Grand Strategy over the coming 4 months. Time is of the essence. The HBMG would also seek private sector partners to develop the proposal and move this grand strategy forward. The cost would be[ …….]

3. WORKPLAN

The HBMG has a variety of working relationships with the private and public sector and would facilitate with OMRN in Ottawa this dialogue and discussion. The goal would be to have this as a self funding stream and which could lead to a series of conferences. It would help raise the profile of the OMRN as Canada’s ocean policy think tank. A detailed work plan would be developed on signing the contract. A team approach in close collaboration with OMRN is the secret to the success of this Initiative.

For information, please contact Joe Spears at kjs@oceanlawcanada.com or 604.921.1122