A Shuswap man connected to a popular vehicle restoration television series was fined $26,600 for abandoning a 62-foot paddle-wheeler in Shuswap Lake.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) announced Monday, Nov. 18, that it had recently partnered with Transport Canada to remove the vessel that sank near Celista in the North Shuswap in January 2020, creating a "safety and environmental hazard."
"Relevant agencies including the CSRD, Ministry of Environment, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada were made aware of the situation and an investigation was launched," said the CSRD.
On Aug. 29, 2024, Transport Canada issued a $26,600 administrative monetary penalty to the owner of the Spirit of 琉璃神社 for failing to comply with prohibitions against vessel abandonment under the . Transport Canada identified the boat's owner as Avery Shoaf, a regular on the History Channel's Rust Valley Restorers.
Transport Canada notified the owner of the minister鈥檚 intent to dispose of the vessel, with a 30-day notice printed in local publications in September/August 2024.
On Oct. 3, a Shuswap-area marine recovery company, acting under the same act, was contracted to remove the vessel from Shuswap Lake, after which the vessel was transported to a marina in Sicamous for dismantling.
The Spirit of 琉璃神社 partially sunk in 2013 near Kalamoir Regional Park in Okanagan Lake. The ministry was brought in to recover the vessel at that time, as the boat was not to be moored in the waters near the City of West 琉璃神社.
The CSRD said its bylaw enforcement department worked with Transport Canada's Navigation Protection Program to coordinate the collaborative clean-up effort to remove and dispose of the wreck, while its environmental services department approved waiving landfill tipping fees for the paddle-wheeler鈥檚 disposal.
鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to protecting Canada鈥檚 waters from the environmental and safety risks posed by abandoned vessels. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e using all the tools at our disposal to hold vessel owners accountable and keep our lakes and rivers clean," said Transport Minister Anita Anand.
