N.S. sanctuary could be a new home for whales in captivity. But some aren't convinced

A proposed whale sanctuary in Port Hilford, N.S., hopes to offer a safe haven for whales coming out of captivity. And two orcas from a marine park in France could be its first residents. 

"We owe it to them. We owe them something back because we as humans have taken them from the wild, and we have a responsibility to care for them for their lifetimes," Charles Vinick, executive director of the Whale Sanctuary Project, told The Current guest host Nahlah Ayed.

The two killer whales, Wikie and her son Keijo, currently live at Marineland Antibes along the French Riviera. But a law passed in 2020 in France is phasing out dolphins and whales in captive environments, which means the orcas will need a new home by 2026.

The Whale Sanctuary Project, a U.S.-based non-profit, is working with the French and Nova Scotia governments to get the whales into Canadian waters, where it has secured a spot that could be the home for many whales to come.

Vinick says the sanctuary, which would give the whales a natural but limited habitat to swim in, is part of a global effort to get animals out of captivity and back into their natural environment.

"We are seeing around the world more and more concern about the ways in which animals, both on land and in the sea, are kept in captivity. We've seen a major change," said Vinick. 

"The people who should have some responsibility are the people who have made millions of dollars for their display."

It's not the first time Vinick has worked with captive whales. He worked closely with the late oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and was part of a team that helped Keiko, the orca from the film Free Willy, return to the ocean.

He says the search for the sanctuary's site was exhaustive. They looked at 130 locations in Washington state, British Columbia and Nova Scotia, before settling on Port Hilford.

The location allows them to net off about 100 acres (about 40 hectares) in the water, which could house about eight to 10 whales. He says within that bay, there would be a pen to put the whales in initially, then they would slowly bring them into the open environment. 

It would be as large as 50 football fields and about 300 times larger than the biggest captive whale tanks.

Vinick says that will give the whales places to dive, and let the whales live as whales while keeping people close by to take care of them. 

He said it would cost up to $18 million to build the sanctuary, which he says is cheaper than building a new environment at a marine park. But more importantly, he says, it would be better for the whales.

But not everyone in the field agrees.