The True Post (Web News) Canada is facing mounting criticism as cruise ships continue to dump large quantities of toxic greywater and scrubber wastewater off its West Coast raising serious environmental concerns. Transport Canada’s delayed action has been flagged as a key culprit, hampering efforts to curb ocean pollution by these vessels
Over the past decade, more than 32 billion litres of waste from sewage and greywater to acidic scrubber by-products loaded with heavy metals have been released into British Columbia coastal waters. Recent data reveals that in 2022 alone, scrubber discharges amounted to 26,000 kg of toxic metals
. Experts warn this is causing ocean acidification, harming marine life, including endangered whales, and contaminating the food chain
Public pressure is rising, with environmental advocates urging Ottawa to ban scrubber wastewater discharges entirely and enforce stricter regulations modeled after Alaska and Washington. They urge a move from voluntary measures to legally binding mandates, citing Transport Canada’s continued inaction as a failure to safeguard Canada’s oceans
Canada’s West Coast is being treated like a “toilet bowl,” say critics, as lax regulations and enforcement allow cruise ships to pollute vital marine ecosystems. Urgent federal action, based on science-backed standards, is needed to protect coastal communities and wildlife.
