The Department of National Defence announced in January that Sydney, NS is the preferred location for a maintenance port for future Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) polar icebreakers. This is welcome news for our members!
Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers are currently docked elsewhere in the Atlantic and other regions. They break ice for shipping lanes. They also have less widely-known functions: enabling environmental response operations, participating in search and rescue operations, and providing aids to navigation.
Already located in Westmount, a suburb of Sydney, is the Canadian Coast Guard Academy. There, UCTE members help look after hundreds of cadets during their four-year studies to become CCG officers.
Graham Alexander is President of UCTE local 80831 at the Academy. Alexander says the project would mean a big investment in infrastructure that should bring a lot of jobs and activity to the area, and that there is room for growth. Sydney has recently added more docking capacity for cruise ships. Also, an icebreaker from the UK was docked in Sydney harbour on a recent visit.
The National Shipbuilding Strategy currently includes up to 22 icebreakers in construction. The docking announced last month would add jobs and vitality to the Sydney area. Our members are proud to contribute to marine safety and security in the Atlantic and in the Arctic.
