Editor:
The fuel spill in Vancouver should be a wake-up call for all of us who live on the Coast. This was considered a minor spill, and even though it took place in the harbour of the busiest port in Canada, it took hours to get a response.
Many people may not realize it, but when the harbour is full, they have additional berthing spots in small bays in the gulf islands. What would the response have been if it happened over there? What would happen if a freighter in Squamish or Port Mellon had a spill?
I watched MP John Weston give an interview where he praised the great response to this accident, and I call on him to ensure the Coast Guard does a full post mortem and gives us an open, honest report on how it was handled. There was one troubling issue he didn’t bring up, and I have not heard him or his government say anything about it since. That is what the effect this spill has had on the water, marine life and sediment in the harbour.
Not surprisingly, I would guess, due to the cuts in Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, it is the Vancouver Aquarium that is at the forefront of studying any long-term effects. Peter Ross, founder of the aquarium’s ocean pollution research program, is leading these efforts, and the aquarium deserves credit for taking this on.
It is a shame that a non-profit association is doing the work our government either doesn’t have the resources or the resolve to do.
Paul Keyes, Hopkins Landing
