If you think you’ve found an abandoned boat or wreck, report it. How you report an abandoned boat or wreck depends on the boat’s condition and location.
On this page
- When to contact your local police or emergency services
- When to contact the Canadian Coast Guard
- When to contact Transport Canada (Navigation Protection Program and Receiver of Wreck)
- Download the printable infographic
When to contact your local police or emergency services
If the boat is an immediate and serious threat to public safety (because of fire or explosion) or you’ve seen suspicious activities, call local police or emergency services.
Call 9-1-1.
When to contact the Canadian Coast Guard
Report the abandoned boat or wreck to the Canadian Coast Guard, if:
- the boat is a risk to the environment and the community (for example, it is in poor condition and could harm the environment if it sinks)
- the boat seems abandoned
- the boat appears to be in a worn-down state (dilapidated) and has been in the same location for a long time without permission
If you want to move, take possession of, or dispose of the boat, or if it appears to be a military or heritage wreck:
- Don't touch it
- Report it to the Canadian Coast Guard
If you know or think you know the identity of the owner, please tell the Canadian Coast Guard Officer.
Contact the Canadian Coast Guard (available 24/7)
- Atlantic (NB, PEI, NL, NS): 1-800-565-1633
- Central (ON, QC): 1-800-363-4735
- Western (BC, AB, SK, MB, YT, NWT): 1-800-889-8852
- Nunavut: 1-867-979-5269
When to contact Transport Canada (Navigation Protection Program and Receiver of Wreck)
Contact Transport Canada’s Navigation Protection Program and Receiver of Wreck, if:
- the boat or wreck is a potential, actual, or immediate threat to safe navigation (because it makes navigation dangerous or blocks other boats from a passage).
- you want to import, salvage, take possession of, or otherwise report a found wreck.
Regional offices
Each region has its own Receiver of Wreck.
- Atlantic (NB, PEI, NL, NS): 506-851-3113
- Prairie and Northern Region (AB, SK, MB, Arctic): 1-844-425-7787
- Ontario: 519-383-1863
- Quebec: 1-877-646-6420
- Pacific (BC): 604-775-8867
Download the printable infographic
I found a wrecked, abandoned or hazardous boat
(PDF, 172 KB)