Hello,
Just for your information, Bruce Crozier (MPP Essex) wrote the following article for newspapers in Essex riding regarding Bill 13.
Feel free to contact our office if you have any more questions or concerns about this bill.
Kandice Ardiel
Assistant to Bruce Crozier, MPP Essex
_______________________________
Bruce Crozier, MPP Essex
Queen's Park Report
Week of January 24 - 28, 2000
In recent months I have been witness to the introduction - and eventual passage - of some terrible legislation, much of it dangerously flawed. The majority Tory government has easily passed most of its bills despite fierce opposition.
Bill 13, An Act to Preserve Ontario's Marine Heritage, is an example of particularly bad legislation. It will not only fail to protect our marine heritage, but may cause it irreparable harm as well.
If you are not a diver, you may be indifferent to the debate surrounding this bill. This doesn't affect you, right? Wrong!
The ErieQuest Marine Heritage Area in Leamington thrives on dive tourism. Divers flock to this region every year to enjoy what Diver magazine says is "fast becoming North America's dive centre."
Currently, ErieQuest employs about a hundred people, with a payroll of $3 million. It generates approximately $5 million dollars in revenue each year, and pumps an additional estimated $4 million into the economy indirectly. This is a total of $12 million dollars flowing into our region from one enterprise alone.
$12 million is a lot of cash.
Amherstburg is another popular dive destination, with Crystal Bay and Boblo Island just off its shores. Beneath the surface of this section of the Detroit River lie shipwrecks dating from the War of 1812 through the days of rum-running and the Prohibition.
The Colchester Reef region is also home to several shipwrecks, frequented by locals and visitors alike.
As well, there are at least three dive shops and three scuba clubs in Essex County, along with charter services and other businesses catering to dive tourists. These would be seriously affected by this legislation.
Our region has a large economic stake in diving, whether we realize it or not. Millions of dollars in revenue and dozens of jobs stand to be lost because of Bill 13.
One of the mandates of Bill 13 is to prevent divers from entering the physical portion of a heritage shipwreck. Part of the thrill of diving is being able to explore the wreck, to get a feel for its history, and to immerse oneself in its story.
How many divers will want to visit ErieQuest if they are prohibited
from entering the shipwrecks, or even disturbing the silt? There
are many dive sites in nearby Michigan's waters, and I'm sure that Michigan
operators would be more than happy to accommodate divers fleeing Ontario's
restrictive regulation.
But economics is only part of the problem. What the Tories do
not seem to understand is that, if enacted, this bill will make it a lot
more enticing for looters and artifact-seekers to enter a wreck and remove
its contents. Under the restrictions imposed by Bill 13, no one will
ever know about it.
Currently, known shipwreck sites are visited by divers on a regular basis. This way, regular explorers know exactly what is supposed to be in each wreck, and will notice immediately if an item is damaged or missing.
However, if these divers are forbidden to do this, what is to prevent some unscrupulous diver from entering anyway and removing a wreck's artifacts? Nothing. In this manner, Bill 13 will backfire, to everyone's detriment.
Our marine heritage is an important part of our history. The Pelee Passage is resting place to an estimated 275 ships, fifty of which have been discovered and explored. We must preserve this heritage at all costs. Bill 13, however, is not the answer.
What the government is doing with Bill 13 is penalizing responsible shipwreck divers, while making it much simpler for criminals to destroy our marine heritage. In application this legislation will be assisting the criminals, while at the same time punishing the diving community. It would also be harmful to our local economy, which stands to lose millions if this bill becomes law.
This is unacceptable.
Bill 13 is on the surface a well-intentioned bill, but it has fallen
short of its goals. It sets out to fulfill its objectives in a way
that
will not only make it easier for looters and vandals to destroy our
province's shipwreck sites, but it will undermine a thriving tourist industry
as well.
The opposition brought about by the public, my colleagues, and myself has shown the Tory government that its legislation is flawed, and that we will not stand idly by while they play fast and loose with Ontario's marine heritage.