Today, the Canadian Coast Guard announced over $1.6 million in funding for 19 communities through the Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Program (ICBVP). The program provides funding to coastal Indigenous communities to buy boats and related marine safety equipment, to support the communities' ability to respond to maritime search and rescue incidents as part of the Canadian marine response system.
Through the Oceans Protection Plan, the Government of Canada is committed to on-the-water safety and bolstering community-based marine response in remote locations. The ICBVP invests in building, enhancing, and sustaining capacity for Indigenous communities to respond to maritime search and rescues. To date, 58 Indigenous communities or organizations across 10 provinces and territories have received over $21 million in funding to buy or retrofit boats and related safety equipment to support their membership in the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA).
The Oceans Protection Plan is a Canadian success story. Working together, Indigenous Peoples, industry, communities, scientists, and governments are protecting mariners and the environment, growing our economy, supporting good jobs across the country, and delivering real results. Funding from the Oceans Protection Plan helped the Canadian Coast Guard establish new search and rescue stations and stand up 24/7 operations at Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Centres, which support better monitoring and coordination for marine incidents.
