There is a lot happening along the waterway. The information below walks you through the different agencies to call if you see something that concerns you - an oil spill, wildlife in trouble, illegal fishing, excess silt from construction, or a speeding boat.
The waterway spans four municipalities - Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich and View Royal. If you are reporting a problem or concern, even if it is not a municipal issue, it is very useful to be able to provide as exact a location as possible.
Who do you call?
The table below has been prepared to the best of our abilities, and was most recently updated in July 2022. Agency numbers and mandates often change. Sometimes there is more than one number to call for the same situation, but there is some agency cooperation so calling one number may set the wheels in motion with a number of different agencies.
| Situation |
Agency |
Phone number |
Spill reporting:
Oil, contaminant, sewage, etc originating on land or water |
Emergency Management BC (formerly PEP) |
1.800.663.3456 24-hour
EMBC works with other agencies (Coast Guard, BC Ministry of Environment, Environment Canada, municipalities) to coordinate spill response. |
| Spills |
Each municipality has a pollution control officer to assist with spills. |
| Esquimalt |
250.414.7108 After hours: 250.995.7654 |
| Saanich |
250.475.5596 After hours: 250.475.5599 |
| Victoria |
250.361.0300 |
| View Royal |
250.479.6800 |
| Sewage outflow |
CRD |
250.360.3256
Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm |
| Stormwater discharges |
CRD |
250.360.3109
Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm |
| Destruction/alteration of fish habitat; sport and commercial fishing violations |
Fisheries and Oceans Canada |
1.800.465.4336 24-hour
Observe, Record, Report line |
| Wildlife harassment |
BC Ministry of Environment |
1.877.952.7277 24-hour.
Report all Poachers and Polluters Anonymously report all suspected violations of fisheries, wildlife, or environmental protection laws including wildlife safety issues. Or report online |
| Disturbing migratory birds |
Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada |
1.877.768.6904 24-hour
The Gorge and Portage Inlet are both part of the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary |
| Dead or living marine mammals |
Marine Mammal Rescue Centre |
1.604.258.7325 or Cell: 1.604.862.1647
Centre is run by Vancouver Aquarium, which is primarily interested in live, large marine mammals, but they can direct people to other agencies such as DFO |
| Municipal bylaw infractions such as zoning, building and development (shoreline, set-backs) and tree protection |
Weekdays. Most municipalities prefer that bylaw infractions are registered in writing or online. |
| Esquimalt |
250.414.7108 |
| Saanich |
250.475.5456 |
| Victoria |
250.361.0215 |
| View Royal |
250.479.6800 |
| Crime related |
Police |
Emergency : 911
Non-emergency:
250.995.7654: Victoria and Esquimalt
250.474.2264: View Royal (Westshore RCMP)
250.475.4321: Saanich |
| Speeding watercraft |
Police |
See above: Police don’t regularly patrol the waterway. They investigate speeding issues but are unable to deploy a boat rapidly. Gather as much information as possible about boat and operator, direction of travel, etc.
250.363.3578 |
| Harbour Master (Victoria) |
VHF Channel 16 (marine)
After hours emergency:
250.388.6275 (pager #1312) |
| Boating accident, search and rescue |
Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre (JRCC) |
1.800.567.5111 Cell: #727 24-hour.
Run by Coast Guard and Dept of National Defence. If you call 911 and say it’s a marine emergency, they would direct you to JRCC. |
| Encountering or disturbing cultural sites |
Archaeology Branch, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations |
250.953.3334 |