Ottawa announces $1.2-billion ocean-protection package

The federal government has announced a $1.2-billion package for ocean protection, Coast Guard capacity and marine conservation, with most spending planned over four years.

According to the September 29 announcement, more than $740 million is intended for conservation and Oceans Protection Plan measures, including search and rescue, radar, emergency forecasting, a spill-response framework and modernization work. A further $136 million is planned for marine-life protection, spill response and underwater-noise measures, including work in the Arctic.

The package also includes $186 million for the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework in the Great Bear Sea, a partnership with First Nations in British Columbia. The government says separate Indigenous-led work is planned for the Lower Fraser River and nearby waters.

The announcement describes the package as one pillar of a wider ocean agenda. Ottawa says two additional pillars—focused on economic opportunity and sovereignty and security—will be presented in the coming months. The amounts announced are commitments and planned investments, not completed project outcomes.

Source: official release dated September 29, 2026.

Illustrative stock image; not the reported event. Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash.