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| Spending over 1000 hours on the water annually, the crew of the Driftbuster works to keep the waters surrounding Greater Vancouver
clear of debris, lessening the dangers to pleasure and commercial boaters using one of our most spectacular natural resources. Since AXA Insurance came on board as a primary supporter in 1999, Dagfinn Frietag and Norm Maasz remove over 270 tonnes of debris from local waterways annually. AXA believes that the frequency of insurance claims is down as a result of the initiative.While this improvement in marine conditions has benefited boaters in the area, more can be done. Current funding allows for 20 operating hours a week on the water, primarily in Vancouver Harbour, Indian Arm, and the English Bay foreshore. At the end of 2007, AXA will be withdrawing further support for the Driftbusters. A community minded business is needed to step forward and fill this need. And, with additional funding, the Driftbuster would patrol the existing areas more frequently, thereby collecting even more debris, as well as allowing coverage of an expanded service area including Richmond, Delta, and Whiterock. The Profile - The Driftbuster has received accolades from many of the major Vancouver media outlets and has been featured in Pacific Yachting, The Vancouver Province, Harbour & Shipping News, and CBC Radio. Who's out there? - Some figures from the Economic Impact Analysis of Recreational Boating in Canada (2001): - In BC almost 15,000 full-time equivalent jobs were directly attributable to boating for a total of $476 million in labour force income. - $1.5 Billion was generated in for British Columbia's GDP in 2001 - British Columbians own 600,000 sailboats, kayaks, powerboats, canoes, personal watercraft, paddle boats and row boats. Commercial watercraft are not in that total. - There are 1.6 million boaters in the province of British Columbia. - There are over 6300 marina slips in the GVRD offering boaters year-round access to the ocean. There are countless thousands more boats and watercraft on trailers, and roof-top carriers accessing the coastal waters 12 months of the year. Boater demographics in Canada are difficult to come by. It is logical to assume a high disposable household income and a higher incidence of leisure/entertainment purchases. The Opportunity - To replace AXA Insurance as the premier sponsor of the Driftbuster's efforts to keep the greater Vancouver waterways clear of debris and safer to all on the water. What's the benefit? - In every instance of media coverage AXA Insurance has been widely recognized for it's role in the sponsorship of the Driftbuster's efforts to date, and has often been included in interviews with AXA personal and quotes in the article. There is no reason to believe this extended coverage would not continue. The Vancouver Province article of Sunday February 13, 2005 spanned 3 full pages with five full colour photographs. Not including the value of the images, the space alone has a media value of over $57,000 (based on Sunday open line rate). The 3 page Pacific yachting article in June 2003 has a current media value of over $10,500. This coverage has been achieved with no public relations activity highlighting the activities of the Driftbuster, or it's corporate patron. A well co-ordinated PR effort could yield significant ongoing coverage and awareness amongst the marine community in the Lower Mainland, not only for the Driftbuster and it's crew - but more importantly for the corporate supporters of safer boating in the area. The Details - The Driftbuster currently operates 52 weeks of the year, 20 hours per week. Our objective is to increase the weekly operating hours to 40 thus allowing for greater servicing of existing coverage areas and expanding the overall coverage of the Driftbuster. |
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