Once again, government bureaucrats are attempting to remove the services of Lightkeepers from the Canadian people. They are working quickly to implement a plan to de-staff the remaining 27 staffed lightstations on the west coast and the remaining 9 on the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.
OPEN LETTER TO ALL CANADIANS FROM LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS
Once again, government bureaucrats are attempting to remove the services of Lightkeepers from the Canadian people. They are working quickly to implement a plan to de-staff the remaining 27 staffed lightstations on the west coast and the remaining 9 on the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Assistant Commissioner of Coast Guard, by continuing to refer to these stations as ‘automated’, is attempting to lead the public to believe that the stations being de-staffed are automated already and that it is only a matter of removing the Lightkeepers. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Lightkeepers have been key players in public safety for over a century and their efforts continue to be held in high regard by the Marine and Aviation communities on both coasts. This is not romanticism. It reflects reality. The services that the Keepers perform are professional and extensive and there simply is no reliable way, even in this day, to replace them with automated equipment.
Their weather observations have a positive impact in both the prevention of incidents and the success of rescue efforts when incidents occur. They help in the accuracy of forecasting and assist the timely flow of goods and passengers along the waterways of both coasts. There have been numerous attempts to duplicate these observations by a variety of equipment and all have fallen miserably short.
Lightkeepers continue to assist in Search and Rescue, provide sanctuary, act as first aid outposts, relay warnings and distress calls, liaise with RCMP, Fisheries, Pollution Control and other government agencies, and we help to ensure Canada’s sovereignty and security by establishing a strong federal presence on our coastlines. Our work is not limited to this list. We protect and maintain these, your public assets, the gems of your coasts, the Lighthouses.
Our concern is not for our jobs. It is for the continuation of the service that Canadians want, expect, and deserve to have.
Call and write your representatives.
Respectfully,
Steve Bergh – President BC Lightkeepers Local 20232 PSAC
Alice Woods – Vice President
Chatham Pt Lt Stn
Box 187 Campbell River, BC
V9W 5A7
