Promoted by Waterfront Alliance Kingston

January 8, 2002

Spring 1998, a local Kingston dive shop presents the concept of creating an artificial reef at Kingston to the Bennett administration, after the Department of National Defense decommissions the HMCS Gatineau, HMCS Nipigon and HMCS Terra Nova.

March 1998, the Bennett administration tasks the Kingston Economic Development Corporation with the development and execution of an artificial reef project, with City of Kingston support.

Spring 1998, both Brockville and Kingston undertake studies regarding the economic benefits of dive tourism and its potential to attract this niche market segment. It was determined that the acquisition of a decommissioned naval destroyer escort to be scuttled as an artificial reef would greatly enhance the region’s appeal as a dive tourism destination.

April 1998, KEDCO creates a cooperative for local dive charters and shops to attend the Underwater Canada show in Toronto.

Summer 1998, KEDCO acquires "Ice-Storm" funding from the Canada-Ontario Business Recovery Assistance (COBRA) program to develop the dive industry in Kingston. A variety of dive shows are attended and the "Liquid Assets" guide is created as fulfillment to inquiries on Kingston as a dive tourism destination.

March 1999, a draft business plan is formulated by KEDCO, in concert with local divers and other authorities like the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia.

February 2001, Crown Assets Disposal confirms that the HMCS Gatineau and the HMCS Nipigon will be made available for purchase in Summer 2001.

February 2001, Kingston City Council commits to the Tall Ships visit.

Spring 2001, the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce passes a motion supporting the Warship project.

August 2001, Waterfront Alliance Kingston, a not-for-profit company is formed to continue with the artificial reef project.

August 2001, the Warship Project, under the lead of Waterfront Alliance Kingston, is supported by the KEDCO Board and KEDCO agrees to continue to provide staff expertise.

September 2001, Waterfront Alliance Kingston bids on the HMCS Nipigon and the HMCS Gatineau. Rimouski, Quebec is the successful bidder on the HMCS Nipigon and purchases the ship.

November 2001, Waterfront Alliance Kingston is the sole bidder in round three of bids for the HMCS Gatineau.

November 2001, the Town of Gananoque expresses support for the project.

December 2001, Waterfront Alliance Kingston presents the project to the Frontenac Islands Council, and is given support to proceed.

December 2001, the 1000 Islands St. Lawrence Seaway Marketing Partnership supports the warship initiative (including representation from KEDCO, the Parks of the St. Lawrence, Parks Canada, the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council, the City of Brockville, the 1000 Islands Community Development Corporation, Tourism Prescott, the Gananoque/1000 Islands Chamber Of Commerce, the Grenville Community Development Center and Cornwall & Seaway Valley Tourism.

Waterfront Alliance Kingston’s objective is to:

• Purchase from Crown Assets the HMCS Gatineau, a decommissioned Canadian Naval Destroyer Escort.

• Tow the ship from Halifax to Kingston – depart, under tow, for Kingston on April 19, 2002 to arrive the last weekend in April, 2002.

• Moor the ship in Kingston – at the "Block D" wharf.

• Utilize the ship as a tourist attraction and special events venue – throughout the summer of 2002, in concert with the City of Kingston, local groups and others.

• Prepare the ship for scuttling – move the ship to Richardson dock and prepare the ship to comply with environmental and dive safety standards throughout late autumn 2002 and the early spring of 2003

• Sink the ship to create an artificial reef – June 2003, involves the placement of explosive charges onboard the ship to flood it in strategic locations so that the ship reaches the bottom in an upright position. Experts will consult on the placement of the explosives. The procedure will be executed under the supervision of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). An international event will surround the sinking.

This effort will result in protection and enhancement of the 1000 Islands underwater environment and the creation of a new attraction for the "dive-tourism" market. It will also garner a great deal of positive publicity for Kingston and the 1000 Islands Region as a wonderful place to visit, play in, live in and invest in.

Warships represent the strength of a nation and they generate feelings of nationalism and pride.

The 1000 Islands Region is celebrated as one of the world’s best fresh-water shipwreck diving destinations, due to the number of heritage shipwrecks off our shores.

Throughout the world, other organizations having undertaken similar artificial reef projects have had nothing but good economic impact to report as a result of increased visitation by scuba-divers to those destinations.

Aggressive marketing of the 1000 Islands region as a dive destination is key to realizing the huge economic potential of this growing Sport Tourism market.

Generate new international visitation by dive tourists and their families, new capital investments and new jobs in Kingston.

The HMCS Gatineau project will serve as a pilot for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to help formulate an Ontario government policy on the creation of artificial reefs in fresh water environments.

Since the 1000 Islands span the International waters of the St. Lawrence River, the HMCS Gatineau is very likely to garner international media coverage both as a tourist attraction and as an artificial reef.

The ship is 23 metres (70 feet) high from the keel to the top of the radar tower. As a result, she must be sunk in at least 33 metres (100 feet) of water to ensure that the water above her is 10 metres (30 feet) deep.

The ‘Howe Island’ site is located well away from heavy boater traffic and shipping lanes in the St Lawrence River south of Howe Island. The site is about 11 miles east of Confederation Basin at Kingston and 5 miles west of Gananoque. The site is close to land-based amenities such as Grass Creek Park, Treasure Island Marina and the Gananoque Municipal Marina. The prevailing current at the site is less than 1.5 km/h and winds are prevailingly southwesterly. Since the river is only 3 km wide at this point, waves are not an issue. This site is well away from the main channel and it poses little obstruction to commercial shipping (extremely rare in the area) or to pleasure craft. The site provides close access to emergency services and to land should inclement weather render navigation impossible. It is a safe location for divers and for surface users.

Financing for the project will be achieved through corporate sponsorships, scrap metal retrieval, government funding programs, as well as revenue generating initiatives like tours of the ship, special events and a lottery. The main expenditures occur at the beginning of the project, consisting of the purchase of the ship and the tow to Kingston.

Waterfront Alliance Kingston intends to learn from the experience of the Artificial Reef Society of BC, which has sunk six ships in the waters of Georgia Strait over the past decade. Since the ARSBC is a non-profit Society limited to activity in the province of British Columbia and is unable to contract with Waterfront Alliance Kingston to prepare the HMCS Gatineau on Waterfront Alliance Kingston’s behalf, Waterfront Alliance Kingston will be establishing its own corporate supervisory organization and intends to retain the services of independent consultants to advise and coordinate work relating to the preparation and sinking of the Gatineau.

Waterfront Alliance Kingston will ensure that the HMCS Gatineau complies to provincial and federal regulations on the sinking of the ship and is currently working on obtaining the necessary permits required. These include:

1. permission to dispose of the ship in accordance with the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (section 70, part VI). A plan outlining environmental impacts has been submitted, as well as a proposal outlining the steps involved in sinking the ship. Guidelines from Environment Canada have been consulted.

2. Conducting an environmental impact survey in accordance with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

3. Forwarding an application under the Navigable Waters Protection Act to the Canadian Coast Guard. This action has already received preliminary clearance.

Waterfront Alliance Kingston will ensure that liability insurance is purchased to protect itself and other partners from any liabilities associated with the project.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources will utilize the sinking of the HMCS Gatineau in Kingston as the pilot to set forth the public policy by which ships can be sunk as artificial reefs in Ontario waters. Once the ship sits on the bottom there are no residual liabilities to Waterfront Alliance Kingston, or any other party involved in the creation of the artificial reef providing that the ship has been prepared to the environmental and diver safety specifications outlined by various ministries and national policy.

The preparation for and sinking of the ship shall be the responsibility of Waterfront Alliance Kingston under the supervision of world experts in the creation of artificial reefs. The project will comply with Coast Guard Regulations, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Federal Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans.

Once the project is completed, the site must be marked with a buoy system to identify it and facilitate the approach and tie-up moorings for divers and charters. Waterfront Alliance Kingston will be responsible for providing and installing such buoys.