Victoria's Coast Guard base will be getting a new station following an announcement by the federal government.
Minister of Transport Marc Garneau was in town Wednesday to announce the start of construction of a new Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue station. It will be located off Dallas Road on the Coast Guard's Victoria base. The Coast Guard has been delivering services from a temporary location since 2018 on a 24-hours-a-day basis.
Clay Evans, Supt. of Maritime Search & Rescue for Coast Guard, Western Region says the new station is long overdue.
"The City of Victoria and the Strait of Juan de Fuca for the first time ever will have a 24/7-365 dedicated primary SAR unit and they'll be there to augment the Coast Guard Auxilliary Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue units in the region from Sooke to Sidney."
The announcement also includes the delivery of new emergency tow kits that will be installed on 25 large Coast Guard vessels across Canada, including two based in Victoria: the CCGS Wilfrid Laurier and the CCGS Bartlett.