Safety First, Service Always: The Canadian Coast Guard Celebrates 40 years 

In the winter of 1963, a French ship, the Douala, made a distress call off the coast of Newfoundland. It was battling rough waters and needed immediate help. The Canadian Coast Guard responded. Although the Douala went down, the coast guard managed to rescue 19 members of the 30-man crew. The Douala mission was one of the first big successes for the Coast Guard, which was formally established in 1962. This year, the Coast Guard celebrates 40 years of keeping Canadian waters safe and secure. 

Weaving between land and water for 243,792 kilometres, the Canadian coastline is the longest in the world.  Because of its size, thousands of highly trained Coast Guard personnel must work the coast. On an average day, coast guard personnel save eight lives, help more than 55 people in 19 search and rescue cases, assist four commercial ships through ice and respond to five reported cases of chemical pollution or oil spills.  

Search and rescue operations are a very important function of the Coast Guard. In the summer of 1988, a sudden violent storm hit the Great Lakes region, battering the recreational boats that were on the waters at the time. The Coast Guard performed 77 rescue missions that day - all completed successfully. In fact, every year, the Coast Guard helps more than 4,500 small boats in distress. 

The Coast Guard also responds to environmental emergencies. When 11million gallons of crude oil gushed out of the Exxon Valdez off the Alaska coast in 1989, the Coast Guard's environmental    response expertise was used to assist in the clean up. 

Since 1977, Kingston has benefited from a dedicated Coast Guard Search And Rescue (SAR) Unit, located in Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. The unit consists of two 3-person crews, which are on call 24 hours a day. The crews live at the station when on duty, and have an average response time of only 15 minutes when answering a call for assistance in the event of a marine incident. 

Kingston’s SAR unit also works closely with the O.P.P, Customs officials, the Ship Safety Board, and the International Border Enforcement Team to ensure the safety of the waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Some of the Coast Guard vessels which service the area on a regular basis include the C.C.G.S Griffon, the Caribou Isle, and a number of “cutters” and Zodiacs”.

On April 12, 2002, Queen’s University received $2.4 million for new Canada Research Chairs.  Pictured here are (left to right): Dr. Vladimir Krstic (a recipient for work in the manufacturing of advanced structural and electronic ceramics), along with Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Peter Milliken, M.P., and Dr. William C. Leggett, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University