Canadian Coast Guard overview and programs

What we do

• Coast Guard is the lead federal agency responsible for ensuring marine safety throughout Canadian waters, including engaging in search and rescue operations
• Coast Guard supports Canada’s ocean economy by enabling: the safe and efficient flow of $251B in marine trade; the handling of more than 342M tonnes of critical goods; and, supporting tens of thousands of jobs across Canada
• In recognition of its specific mandate, Coast Guard was established as a Special Operating Agency (SOA) within Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2005

Coast Guard’s mandate is derived from the Oceans Act and the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, giving Coast Guard the authority to provide essential services.

• Marine search and rescue
• Marine navigation
• Marine communications and traffic management
• Icebreaking and Ice-management
• Marine pollution response
• Support to other Government organizations

From Coast to Coast to Coast

• Coast Guard’s responsibility covers 243,000 km of Canada’s coastline, the longest in the world
• Our vessels and aircraft operate over approximately 5.3 million km² of ocean and inland waters
• Approximately 6,000 employees, with 81% working outside of the National Capital Region
• Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, NS grants degrees to Navigation and Engineering Officer graduates, and provides training in marine safety, security, and environmental protection

On an average day, the Coast Guard:

• Coordinates 19 search and rescue incidents
• Assists 43 people in search and rescue responses
• Saves 13 lives through on water-water response
• Manages 1,100 vessel movements
• Carries out 11 fisheries patrols
• Supports 11 scientific surveys
• Deals with 3 pollution events
• Surveys 3.5 km of navigation channel bottom

Coast Guard regions

Western: 1,164 FTEs

• 7 Operational Bases
• 13 SAR Stations
• 4 seasonal IRB Stations
• 5 Staffed ER Depots
• 2 MCTS Centres
• 1 JRCC
• 1 ROC
• 3,856 Aids to Navigation
• 27 Staffed Lightstations

Central and Arctic: 1,370 FTEs

• 11 Operational Bases
• 15 SAR Stations
• 13 Seasonal IRB Stations
• 4 Staffed ER Depots
• 5 MCTS Centres
• 1 JRCC
• 1 MRSC
• 1 ROC
• 6,801 Aids to Navigation

A new Arctic Region was announced on Oct. 24, 2018 (Engagement and implementation in process)

NCR: 713 FTEs

Atlantic: 1,840 FTEs

• 3 Operational Bases
• 14 SAR Stations
• 9 seasonal IRB Stations
• 1 JRCC
• 1 MRSC
• 1ROC

Coast Guard College

• 5 Staffed ER Depots
• 5 MCTS Centres
• 6,675 Aids to Navigation
• 24 Staffed Lighthouses

Note: FTEs accounted for above represent the planned workforce as per Coast Guard’s approved 2019-20 Business Plan

117 Vessels and 22 Helicopters

• 26 x Large vessels
• 41 x Small vessels
• 46 x SAR Lifeboats
• 4 x Air Cushion Vehicles
• 22 x Helicopters

(as of 27/08/2019)

* In addition, the fleet is supplemented by two leased Emergency Offshore Towing Vessels on the West Coast, and three icebreakers, to backfill while existing large ships undergo refits.

Marine Search and Rescue (SAR)

The Coast Guard is the federal lead for marine search and rescue in Canada.

• Coast Guard provides 24/7/365 SAR services in partnership with National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF), and over 4,000 volunteer members of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary

• SAR incidents are coordinated by three Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCC) and two Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres. The JRCC's are managed by CAF and jointly staffed with Coast Guard and CAF personnel

• SAR resources across Canada:
• 3 Joint Rescue Coordination Centres
• 2 Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres
• 42 search and rescue stations
• 26 seasonal in-shore rescue boat stations
• 1 hovercraft station
• 1 dive team

Marine Navigation

The Coast Guard facilitates safe navigation through Canadian waters

• Ensuring smooth and uninterrupted flow of goods along waterways
• Maintaining over 17,000 aids to navigation and a Canadian Differential Global Positioning System Navigation Service that enhances the Global Positioning System
• Providing navigational safety information to mariners
• Surveying channel conditions, and informing mariners of water depths, currents, and levels

Marine Communications and Traffic Management

158 radio towers across Canada and 11 remote communication sites in the Arctic support Coast Guard services.

12 Marine Communications and Traffic Service centres:

• Monitor radio frequencies and respond to calls for assistance
• Broadcast maritime safety information
• Manage marine traffic in designated waterways
• Provide navigational information and assistance
• Screen vessels and issue clearance to ships prior to entry into Canadian waters

Icebreaking and ice-management

During winter, 14 icebreakers and two air cushioned vehicles operate in southern Canada. During the summer, an average of seven vessels operate in the Arctic.

• Enables commerce on the east coast
• Ensures year-round ferry service
• Escorts ships through ice covered waters
• Supports flood prevention
• Clears ice from harbours and wharfs
• Supports Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic
• Supplies remote communities
• Supports Arctic economic development
• Provides ice information and routing advice

Marine Pollution Response

Environmental Response (ER)

• Coast Guard ensures an appropriate response to all reports of ship-source pollution and mystery-source spills
• Public-private partnership that adheres to the Polluter Pays Principle
• Integrating science and local Indigenous Knowledge into preparedness and response activities
• 94 ER equipment depot sites across Canada

Hazardous Vessels Response

• Under the National Strategy to address Wrecked, Abandoned, and Hazardous Vessels, Coast Guard is responsible for ensuring hazards posed by vessels in Canadian waters are appropriately addressed
• The Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act (WAHVA), which came into force on July 30, 2019, gives Coast Guard new authorities and provides strict liability to hold vessels owners accountable
• Coast Guard is introducing a new program to fulfil its responsibilities and authorities under WAHVA and the National Strategy

Maritime security

The Coast Guard is often the only federal presence in Canada’s waters, most notably in the Arctic. This presence contributes to security and promotes Canadian sovereignty.

Coast Guard plays a critical role in supporting Canada’s maritime and national security by:

• Creating national maritime domain awareness by contributing sensor information and expert analysis in Canada’s three Marine Security Operations Centres
• Providing patrol vessels, helicopters and personnel to support DFO and the RCMP
• Contributing to global Maritime security and safety, and supporting Canada’s overseas priorities
• Providing and managing intelligence and information to support Coast Guard decision-making and operations
• Engaging with federal and international partners to ensure a coherent approach to national and allied Maritime security

Partnerships

Coast Guard provides operational platforms and expertise to several federal partners, including:

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Vessel platforms to various programs such as Science, Conservation and Protection, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Supports law enforcement agencies, such as through the Canada-U.S. Shiprider Program, which removes the international maritime boundary as a barrier to law enforcement by enabling seamless continuity of enforcement and security operations across the border
• Transport Canada: Supports the enforcement of marine regulations

International collaboration

Coast Guard maintains strong partnerships with a number of countries, most notably, the United States and participates in various multilateral fora:

• Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF)
• North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum (NACGF)
• North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF)
• Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response working group of the Arctic Council, where Coast Guard is serving as vice-chair and Head of the Canadian delegation

The Coast Guard is engaged in a variety of capacity building activities:

• Personnel cross-training assignments (e.g. Korean Coast Guard)
• Instructor participation in training courses (e.g. Chile’s Advanced Training for Ships Operating in Polar Waters)
• Tailored instructor training (e.g. Costa Rican Coast Guard)
• Deployment of mentors to exercises (e.g. CUTLASS EXPRESS and OBANGAME EXPRESS)
• Participation in capacity building meetings and working groups (e.g., the G7++ Friends of Gulf of Guinea meetings and virtual working groups, and the Maritime security Working Group)

The Coast Guard also participates in numerous committees:

• International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities
• International Maritime Organization’s sub-committee on Navigation Communication and Search and Rescue
• International Hydrographic Organization’s World Wide Navigational Warning Service sub-committee

Key initiatives

Fleet Renewal: on-going fleet sustainability requires building new ships and securing interim measures, as required, to maintain operational capacity until new assets can be delivered.

The National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) includes the renewal of Coast Guard’s fleet of large and small vessels.

Large vessels

Five large vessels were approved and funded when the NSS was announced in 2010:

• Three offshore fisheries science vessel
• One offshore oceanographic science vessel
• One polar icebreaker

In 2019, DFO secured funding for an additional 24 CCG large vessels:

• 16 multi-purpose vessels, to be built by Vancouver Shipyards
• Two arctic offshore patrol ship variants, to be built by Irving’s Halifax Shipyard
• Six program icebreakers, with a competitive process to add a third Canadian shipyard to the NSS

Small vessels

Renewal of the small fleet is also underway:

• Nine small vessels delivered in recent years
• Another 14 search and rescue lifeboats in progress

Annex: Coast Guard Partnerships

Partners

• Industry
• Federal Departments (e.g., DFO, DND/CAF, TC, RCMP, ECCC, NRCan, CBSA, Public Safety)
• Indigenous Governments and Organizations:
  • Indigenous and coastal communities
  • Regional and national Indigenous groups/associations (e.g., First Nations Emergency Management Network)
• The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary
• Other levels of government (provinces, territories, municipalities)

Clients

• Canadians
• Mariners
• Fish harvesters
• Local communities
• Recreational boaters
• Ferry operators

Think Tanks / Academia

• Clear Seas
• Universities and colleges across Canada
• CCGS Amundsen / Science
• ArcticNet
• MEOPAR

International

• International organizations
  • International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)
  • International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Regional For a (e.g., Arctic, North Atlantic, North Pacific)
• Arctic Council/EPPR
• Bilateral cooperation and capacity-building
  • US; Norway; Denmark; Chile; Costa Rica; South Korea