Feds unveil B.C. tanker ban
Trevor Nichols - May 15, 2017 - BC Biz

Photo: CTV

Last week, the federal government introduced proposed legislation that would solidify Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge to ban oil tanker traffic off the northern coast of British Columbia.

May 12 the government introduced Bill C-48, the proposed Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which would ban oil tankers carrying crude and persistent oils from stopping, loading or unloading at ports or marine installations in northern British Columbia.

Trudeau first made the promise to enact the moratorium in a letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau in late 2015.

According to Delphine Denis, Garneau’s press secretary, the legislation “will provide a high level of protection for the coastline around Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound.”

The proposed moratorium extends all the way from Canada’s northern border with the United States to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and also includes Haida Gwaii.

“The Government of Canada is committed to demonstrating a clean environment and a strong economy can go hand-in-hand,” Garneau said in a press release. “Tabling this legislation is another step towards fulfilling our promise to formalize the tanker moratorium on British Columbia’s north coast. This, and other actions we are taking to improve marine safety through the Oceans Protection Plan, will protect the coasts and waterways that Canadians depend on for generations to come.”

Ships carrying less than 12,500 metric tonnes of oil as cargo will continue to be permitted in the moratorium area “to ensure northern communities can receive critical shipments of heating oils and other products.”

The legislation proposes strong penalty provisions for contravention that could reach up to $5 million. It also proposes flexibility for amendments.

The proposed Oil Tanker Moratorium Act is part of the government’s $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, a national strategy to create a marine safety system to protect the country’s coastlines.


All BC Biz Stories