B.C. announces shoreline cleanup fund

The British Columbia government has announced a fund to clean up the shoreline of the central coast in a bid to create jobs as communities try to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It says the $3.5-million fund will allow small ship tour operators, First Nations and local communities to help in the removal of debris and plastic along the shores of the central coast and the Great Bear Rainforest.

The Small Ship Tour Operators Association will remove marine debris.

The association says crew members will inspect and clean up to 1,000 kilometres of remote shoreline around 100 small islands.

The debris will be recycled where possible to reduce the amount of material going into landfills.

Last year, the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up removed 163,505 kilograms of debris in Canada, an increase of more than 47,000 kilograms from 2018.