Core Area Harbours
The Core Area Harbours Service Mandate is from the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Plan Section 18 and establishing bylaws 3743 and 3837.
The service area includes Victoria Harbour, the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet, Esquimalt Lagoon and Esquimalt Harbour, adjacent to the municipalities of the City of Victoria, the District of Saanich, the Town of View Royal, the Township of Esquimalt, the City of Colwood and the City of Langford.
The mandate of the service is to:
- Work cooperatively with partners and coordinate environmental protection and improvement efforts,
- Coordinate and collaborate with others on issues relating to the marine and shore area environments,
- Monitor, map, report, educate, coordinate, and collaborate on issues relating to the marine and shore area environments, and
- Implement programs related to rehabilitation and improvement of the marine and shore area environments.
Harbours Atlas
The Harbours Atlas is a web-based map layer embedded within the CRD Regional Map. This map layer brings together environmental and land information for the harbours and their watersheds. Users are able to retrieve ecological and geographic data from over 70 layers of spatial information including:
- Harbour vegetation
- Marine fauna
- Sediment and substrate types
- Sensitive shoreline habitats
- Seasonal bird use and density
- Underwater videos
Report a Concern
Wondering who to call to report an issue you see? The following list of agency numbers will help you get started. Agency mandates can change and sometimes there is more than one number to call for the same situation. There is agency cooperation behind the scenes so calling one number may set the wheels in motion with different agencies.
| Situation | Agency | Phone number |
|---|---|---|
| Spill reporting: Oil, contaminant, sewage, etc originating on land or water | Emergency Management BC (formerly PEP) | 1.800.663.3456 24-hour EMBC works with other agencies (Coast Guard, BC Ministry of Environment, Environment Canada, municipalities) to coordinate spill response. |
| Spills | Each municipality has a pollution control officer to assist with spills. | |
| Esquimalt | 250.414.7108 After hours: 250.995.7654 | |
| Saanich | 250.475.5596 After hours: 250.475.5599 | |
| Victoria | 250.361.0300 | |
| View Royal | 250.479.6800 | |
| Sewage outflow | CRD | 250.360.3256 Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm |
| Stormwater discharges | CRD | 250.360.3109 Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm |
| Destruction/alteration of fish habitat; sport and commercial fishing violations | Fisheries and Oceans Canada | 1.800.465.4336 24-hour Observe, Record, Report line |
| Wildlife harassment | BC Ministry of Environment | 1.877.952.7277 24-hour. Report all Poachers and Polluters Anonymously report all suspected violations of fisheries, wildlife, or environmental protection laws including wildlife safety issues. Or report online |
| Disturbing migratory birds | Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada | 1.877.768.6904 24-hour The Gorge and Portage Inlet are both part of the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary |
| Dead or living marine mammals | Marine Mammal Rescue Centre | 1.604.258.7325 or Cell: 1.604.862.1647 Centre is run by Vancouver Aquarium, which is primarily interested in live, large marine mammals, but they can direct people to other agencies such as DFO |
| Municipal bylaw infractions such as zoning, building and development (shoreline, set-backs) and tree protection | Weekdays. Most municipalities prefer that bylaw infractions are registered in writing or online. | |
| Esquimalt | 250.414.7108 | |
| Saanich | 250.475.5456 | |
| Victoria | 250.361.0215 | |
| View Royal | 250.479.6800 | |
| Crime related | Police | Emergency : 911 Non-emergency: 250.995.7654: Victoria and Esquimalt 250.474.2264: View Royal (Westshore RCMP) 250.475.4321: Saanich |
| Speeding watercraft | Police | See above: Police don't regularly patrol the waterway. They investigate speeding issues but are unable to deploy a boat rapidly. Gather as much information as possible about boat and operator, direction of travel, etc. 250.363.3578 |
| Harbour Master (Victoria) | VHF Channel 16 (marine) After hours emergency: 250.388.6275 (pager #1312) | |
| Boating accident, search and rescue | Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre (JRCC) | 1.800.567.5111 Cell: #727 24-hour. Run by Coast Guard and Dept of National Defence. If you call 911 and say it's a marine emergency, they would direct you to JRCC. |
| Encountering or disturbing cultural sites | Archaeology Branch, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations | 250.953.3334 |
Harbour Stewardship Speaker Series
The Harbour Stewardship Speaker Series offers free presentations on harbour and stewardship related topics to staff, community groups and the public. Topics include Green Shores, Salmon Safe Eco-Certification and the tire wear toxin, 6PPD-Quinone.
