A new coast guard base has opened at the northern tip of Vancouver Island in Port Hardy, B.C.
Locals and the Canadian Coast Guard celebrated the grand opening of the station, called the Canadian Coast Guard Hardy Bay Base, at a ceremony Tuesday.
The 16,000-square-foot station was funded by the federal government and includes office spaces, storage spaces for vessels and emergency response equipment, and houses a large drive-on floating dock so that specialized equipment can be loaded onto coast guard ships.