North Coast MLA Gary Coons is concerned that tanker traffic has quietly begun plying the waters of British Columbia’s coast, navigating the treacherous waters where the Queen of the North recently sank.

“There is a moratorium on oil and gas activities in B.C.’s offshore waters. That means there isn’t supposed to be any exploration activity and tanker traffic along our coastline. Frankly, I find it disturbing that traffic has begun without even the most cursory of public discourse from the government.”

“The moratoria have not been lifted and they need to be for this tanker traffic to legally go ahead. If the moratoria are, indeed, going to be lifted, there must be debates on both the federal and the provincial levels, as well as consultation with the First Nations Peoples whose territories are affected by this change in policy.”

Since the Queen of the North sank on March 22, 2006, the residents of Hartley Bay have been waiting for clean-up of the diesel that remains in the vessel’s tanks. This worries Coons.

“If governments are unwilling to act to protect the interests of communities like Hartley Bay in the event of a small spill like that caused by the sinking of the Queen of the North, how can the communities of the North Coast feel secure in the face of the possibility of a major spill? The sneaky approach both the federal and provincial governments have taken on the issue of tanker traffic doesn’t inspire much confidence in their commitment to the environmental health of the North Coast.”

The provincial government unanimously passed a resolution in 1971 to entreat the federal government to prevent tanker traffic off of British Columbia’s coast. The federal government responded by enacting the moratorium in 1972.