Question Period Note: Coastal Safety Program Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Coastal Safety Program Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

• Visitor safety is a priority for Parks Canada and begins with preventing emergency situations in the first place.
• At Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Parks Canada monitors and shares real-time safety information on changing ocean conditions with visitors year-round. A Visitor Safety Team is available every day of the year and works closely with partnering agencies to coordinate and respond to safety incidents.
• In the summer, Coastal Ambassadors provide prevention messages directly to visitors on the beaches.
• Ensuring coastal safety is a region wide priority that requires an integrated approach from all levels of government, response agencies, community organizations and businesses.
• A public awareness campaign called CoastSmart was inaugurated in 2017 with the districts of Tofino and Ucluelet, to educate visitors about ocean hazards so individuals can make informed decisions.
• Parks Canada continues to explore various options to enhance the Visitor Safety Program, from education to emergency response, including increasing regional engagement through CoastSmart.

• In 2012, a summer surf guard service in the Long Beach Unit (approximately a half kilometre) in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve was eliminated as the service no longer aligned with the changing visitor activities in the park. High-risk beach and water activities, like surfing, paddle boarding and storm watching, now take place year-round in the park reserve over a broad network of beaches stretching more than 16 kilometres.
• Unsupervised beaches are the standard practice for all surf beaches under federal, provincial or municipal jurisdiction along Canada’s Pacific Coast. Some local stakeholders continue to advocate for reinstating the Surf Guard program.
• There have been three surf zone-related fatalities in the Long Beach Unit of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve since the fall of 2017, although one appears to have been caused by an unrelated medical condition.
• In the spring and summer of 2019, there was national media coverage of incidents in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve where water users required assistance.
• In May, 2019, Gord Johns, Member of Parliament for Courtenay–Alberni, tabled an e-petition signed by 829 constituents from coastal British Columbia, calling on the Government to reinstate the seasonal Surf Guard service. This was followed by a letter from Tourism Tofino supporting the reinstatement of the Surf Guard service.

CURRENT COASTAL SAFETY PROGRAM
• Parks Canada monitors ocean conditions every day of the year to determine the level of risk, share this information with visitors, and implement risk reduction tactics, like closures.
• Daily conditions and related safety tips are shared through four digital screens installed at key locations in the park reserve and online. Parks Canada staff also conduct regular beach patrols and engage with visitors about coastal safety year round. During the summer months, a team of Parks Canada Coastal Ambassadors are dedicated to this task, sharing ocean conditions and other park information while roving popular beaches.
• When an emergency occurs within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, visitor safety technicians organize overall incident management, provide first aid, and coordinate response from partnering agencies such as the British Columbia Ambulance Service. Parks Canada also conducts investigations to inform future prevention efforts.
• CoastSmart involves local governments, tourism organizations and businesses in promoting safe water use. These collaborative efforts help visitors and local water users meet their individual responsibilities of learning about hazards. There are opportunities for external stakeholders to further share coastal safety information with regional visitors. Parks Canada continues to work towards strengthening the regional delivery of Coast Smart.
• Prince Edward Island National Park and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve share some similar ocean conditions, such as rip currents, but there are key differences which influence the approach to water safety. For example, swimming is the main activity at Prince Edward Island National Park, whereas water recreation at Pacific Rim includes a variety of water activities from surfing to swimming and storm watching all year round.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND NATIONAL PARK
• Consistent with most provincial beaches, Prince Edward Island National Park has surf guards, who offer lifeguarding to swimmers within a safe zone marked by buoys and flags during core summer months. These guards are on duty from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, between late June and Labour Day.
• The ocean conditions and visitor safety needs in Prince Edward Island are markedly different from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Each national park adopts an approach to water safety and level of service that is best suited to its unique circumstances.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office