Whereas the Minister of Transport is of the opinion that the annexed Interim Order for the Protection of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in the Waters of Southern British Columbia, 2026 is required to deal with a direct or indirect risk to marine safety or to the marine environment;
And whereas the provisions of the annexed Order may be contained in a regulation made under paragraphs 35(1)(e) Footnote a, 35.1(1)(k) Footnote b and 136(1)(f) Footnote c of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 Footnote d;
Therefore, the Minister of Transport makes the annexed Interim Order for the Protection of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in the Waters of Southern British Columbia, 2026 under subsection 10.1(1) Footnote e of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 Footnote d.
Ottawa, May 22, 2026
Minister of Transport
Steven MacKinnon
Definition
Definition of Southern Resident killer whale
1 In this Interim Order, Southern Resident killer whale means any member of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Northeast Pacific southern resident population.
Non-application
Vessels
2 (1) This Interim Order does not apply to
- (a) a vessel that is in distress or providing assistance to a vessel or person in distress;
- (b) a vessel that is involved in pollution response operations;
- (c) a vessel that is avoiding an immediate or unforeseen danger; or
- (d) a vessel that is carrying a person referred to in paragraph (2)(a).
Persons
(2) This Interim Order does not apply to
- (a) an employee of the Government of Canada or a peace officer who is performing their duties, or a person who is assisting them or who is otherwise present at the request of the Government of Canada; or
- (b) a person who is operating a vessel referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (d).
Approach Distance Prohibition
Vessels
3 (1) A vessel must not approach within 1 000 m of a Southern Resident killer whale in the waters set out in Schedule 1.
Exceptions
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to
- (a) a vessel in transit; or
- (b) a vessel carrying a person referred to in any of paragraphs 4(2)(a) to (c).
Persons
4 (1) A person operating a vessel must not approach within 1 000 m of a Southern Resident killer whale in the waters set out in Schedule 1.
Exceptions
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to
- (a) a person acting in a manner authorized under the Species at Risk Act;
- (b) a person authorized under subsection 38(1) of the Marine Mammal Regulations to disturb a Southern Resident killer whale;
- (c) a person fishing for marine mammals for experimental, scientific, educational or public display purposes in the manner set out in a licence issued under the Fishery (General) Regulations; or
- (d) a person operating a vessel referred to in paragraph 3(2)(a) or (b).
Vessel Restricted Zones
Vessels
5 (1) A vessel must not navigate in the waters set out in Schedule 2 on or before November 30, 2026.
Exceptions
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to
- (a) a vessel being used to access a private residence, a commercial establishment or any other establishment providing a service, if travel in the waters set out in Schedule 2 is the only practical means of access and the vessel is navigating directly between
- (i) a location on Pender Island or Saturna Island and another location on one of those islands,
- (ii) a location on Pender Island or Saturna Island and another location beyond the waters set out in Schedule 2,
- (iii) a location on Pender Island or Saturna Island and a mooring buoy located in the waters set out in Schedule 2, or
- (iv) a mooring buoy located in the waters set out in Schedule 2 and a location beyond those waters;
- (b) a human-powered vessel navigating at a distance of 20 m or less from the shoreline — meaning the line where the water surface touches the land — in the waters set out in items 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;
- (c) a vessel being used to fish under a licence issued under the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations
- (i) for food, social or ceremonial purposes, or
- (ii) for domestic purposes under a treaty within the meaning of section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982; or
- (d) a vessel carrying a person referred to in any of paragraphs 6(2)(a) to (f).
Persons
6 (1) A person must not operate a vessel in the waters set out in Schedule 2 on or before November 30, 2026.
Exceptions
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to
- (a) a person acting in a manner authorized under the Species at Risk Act;
- (b) a person authorized under subsection 38(1) of the Marine Mammal Regulations to disturb a Southern Resident killer whale;
- (c) a person fishing for marine mammals under the authority of the Marine Mammal Regulations;
- (d) a person fishing for marine mammals for experimental, scientific, educational or public display purposes in the manner set out in a licence issued under the Fishery (General) Regulations;
- (e) a person fishing under a licence issued under the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations
- (i) for food, social or ceremonial purposes, or
- (ii) for domestic purposes under a treaty within the meaning of section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982;
- (f) an Indigenous person exercising an existing right, other than for fishing, for non-commercial purposes under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982; or
- (g) a person operating a vessel referred to in any of paragraphs 5(2)(a) to (d).
Speed Restricted Zones
Vessels
7 (1) A vessel must not proceed at a speed in excess of 10 knots over ground in the waters set out in Schedule 3 on or before November 30, 2026.
Exceptions
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a vessel that is operating without a motor.
Persons
8 (1) A person must not operate a vessel at a speed in excess of 10 knots over ground in the waters set out in Schedule 3 on or before November 30, 2026.
Exceptions
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a person operating a vessel referred to in subsection 7(2).
Repeal
9 The Interim Order for the Protection of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in the Waters of Southern British Columbia, 2025, made on May 30, 2025, is repealed.
Coming into Force
June 1, 2026
10 This Interim Order comes into force on June 1, 2026, but if it is made after that day, it comes into force on the day on which it is made.
Schedule 1
(Subsections 3(1) and 4(1))
Waters Subject to Certain Prohibitions
| The waters subject to the prohibitions referred to in sections 3 and 4 bounded by a line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| beginning at | 50°03.807’N | 124°50.610’W | [Sarah Point]; |
| then to | 49°52.486’N | 124°33.903’W | [north Powell River]; |
| then to | 49°52.426’N | 124°33.912’W | [south Powell River]; |
| then to | 49°46.436’N | 124°16.815’W | [north Jervis Inlet/Thunder Bay]; |
| then to | 49°44.262’N | 124°13.260’W | [south Jervis Inlet]; |
| then to | 49°43.838’N | 124°12.572’W | [north Blind Bay]; |
| then to | 49°43.018’N | 124°11.228’W | [south Ballet Bay]; |
| then to | 49°39.450’N | 124°05.148’W | [west Agamemnon Channel]; |
| then to | 49°39.313’N | 124°04.355’W | [east Agamemnon Channel]; |
| then to | 49°19.301’N | 123°08.888’W | [north Burrard Inlet]; |
| then to | 49°18.775’N | 123°08.882’W | [south Burrard Inlet]; |
| then to | 49°15.608’N | 123°15.755’W | [Cowards Cove]; |
| then to | 49°15.173’N | 123°16.247’W | [east Sea Island]; |
| then to | 49°15.455’N | 123°16.795’W | [north Sea Island]; |
| then to | 49°12.853’N | 123°13.338’W | [south Sea Island]; |
| then to | 49°11.205’N | 123°12.225’W | [north Swishwash Island]; |
| then to | 49°10.425’N | 123°12.023’W | [south Swishwash Island]; |
| then to | 49°07.853’N | 123°12.037’W | [Steveston]; |
| then to | 49°06.128’N | 123°19.335’W | [north Strait of Georgia]; |
| then to | 49°05.368’N | 123°19.342’W | [south Strait of Georgia]; |
| then to | 49°07.058’N | 123°11.647’W | [Fraser River]; |
| then to | 49°06.532’N | 123°11.232’W | [Westham Island]; |
| then to | 49°04.062’N | 123°09.410’W | [south Canoe Passage]; |
| then to | 49°03.487’N | 123°08.493’W | [Roberts Bank]; |
| then to | 49°00.132’N | 123°05.460’W | [Boundary Bluff]; |
| then adjacent to the United States border until | 48°14.200’N | 125°44.500’W | [southern boundary of the critical habitat of the Southern Resident killer whale]; |
| then to | 48°41.700’N | 126°17.783’W | [northwest boundary of the critical habitat of the Southern Resident killer whale]; |
| then to | 48°59.685’N | 125°40.152’W | [Quisitis Point]; |
| then to | 48°55.253’N | 125°32.517’W | [Amphitrite Point]; |
| then to | 48°56.076’N | 125°31.372’W | [Stuart Bay]; |
| then to | 49°01.238’N | 125°02.383’W | [Hi’tatis]; |
| then to | 48°46.985’N | 125°12.587’W | [Cape Beale]; |
| then to | 48°39.645’N | 124°49.205’W | [west Clo-oose Bay]; |
| then to | 48°39.485’N | 124°48.648’W | [east Clo-oose Bay]; |
| then to | 48°33.703’N | 124°27.812’W | [west Port San Juan]; |
| then to | 48°33.110’N | 124°25.742’W | [east Port San Juan]; |
| then to | 49°59.092’N | 125°13.390’W | [Campbell River]; |
| then to | 50°03.807’N | 124°50.610’W | [Sarah Point]. |
Schedule 2
(Subsection 5(1), paragraphs 5(2)(a) and (b) and subsection 6(1))
Vessel Restricted Zones
| 1. Saturna Island The waters off Saturna Island bounded by a line |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| beginning at | 48°47.150’N | 123°02.733’W | [northern boundary of East Point (shoreline)]; |
| then to | 48°47.367’N | 123°02.915’W | [Tumbo Channel]; |
| then to | 48°47.617’N | 123°02.483’W | [northwest boundary (east of Tumbo Point)]; |
| then to | 48°47.473’N | 123°01.975’W | [northeast boundary (Boiling Reef)]; |
| then to | 48°46.558’N | 123°03.147’W | [Boundary Pass]; |
| then to | 48°46.333’N | 123°03.805’W | [southeast boundary]; |
| then to | 48°46.350’N | 123°05.150’W | [southwest boundary (Narvaez Bay)]; |
| then to | 48°46.683’N | 123°05.150’W | [Fiddlers Cove]; |
| then to | 48°47.150’N | 123°02.733’W | [northern boundary of East Point (shoreline)]. |
| 2. Pender Island The waters off Pender Island bounded by a line |
|||
| beginning at | 48°45.817’N | 123°19.300’W | [northwest boundary]; |
| then to | 48°46.217’N | 123°18.867’W | [northeast boundary]; |
| then to | 48°44.167’N | 123°13.917’W | [southeast boundary]; |
| then to | 48°44.153’N | 123°15.517’W | [southwest boundary]; |
| then to | 48°45.817’N | 123°19.300’W | [northwest boundary]. |
Schedule 3
(Subsections 7(1) and 8(1))
Speed Restricted Zones
| 1. Mouth of the Nitinat River The waters of the mouth of the Nitinat River bounded by a line |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| beginning at | 48°42.377’N | 125°00.000’W | [northwest boundary]; |
| then to | 48°36.683’N | 125°00.000’W | [northwest boundary (Swiftsure Bank)]; |
| then to | 48°36.683’N | 124°45.083’W | [southeast boundary (Carmanah Point)]; |
| then along the coastline to | 48°42.377’N | 125°00.000’W | [northeast boundary]. |
| 2. Swiftsure Bank The waters off Swiftsure Bank bounded by a line |
|||
| beginning at | 48°34.000’N | 125°06.000’W | [northwest boundary]; |
| then to | 48°32.100’N | 125°01.760’W | [southwest boundary]; |
| then to | 48°32.100’N | 124°49.545’W | [southern boundary (traffic separation scheme lane)]; |
| then to | 48°32.017’N | 124°46.593’W | [southern boundary (traffic separation scheme lane)]; |
| then to | 48°31.150’N | 124°43.483’W | [southeast boundary]; |
| then to | 48°35.717’N | 124°43.067’W | [northeast boundary]; |
| then to | 48°34.000’N | 124°54.190’W | [northern boundary]; |
| then to | 48°34.000’N | 125°06.000’W | [northwest boundary]. |