The recent bunker fuel spill into Vancouver's harbour should serve as a wake-up call to the authorities that are supposed to be making sure our shorelines are safe from environmental catastrophe.
In short, all levels of government, please get your acts together.
Several beaches were fouled by the April 8 spill of bunker fuel and while this incident is not to be compared with Exxon Valdez catastrophe, in which more than 11 million gallons of crude oil were leaked, in a microcosm, it was a disaster because of the apparent slow pace of the cleanup and the blame game that followed.
What if there were a much larger spill? Could we count on a more precise and collaborative response?
Now, some of the blame game is because of politics and, for the most part, Metro Vancouverites are suspicious of oil tankers and don't want more of them, regardless of how safe their record may be. And perhaps it unfair to link this spill to the current National Energy Board process to review Kinder Morgan's pipeline expansion plans.
But to say that everything was OK and the spill was handled properly is a bit of a joke. In fact, what we are learning now is that the whole mess could have been cleaned up easily if the problem had been addressed sooner. As well, a more robust communications plan could have saved everyone a great deal of grief.
According to Ralph Drew, Belcarra's mayor, the Coast Guard-led spill response added bureaucracy and delay a case of too many cooks. Indeed, it was 13 hours until booms were fully secured around the MV Marathassa.
We've heard many explanations about the delay: The ship that was the source of the oil denied at first it was the problem, the sheen on the water was thought to be unrecoverable, etc.
This kind of uncertainty is what raises doubts. As Drew said during a recent Metro Vancouver meeting: "This is like the Coast Guard saying, 'We won't send the fire trucks until we see flames.' Give your head a shake. They need to get out there now."
Stop telling us everything is fine and get to the root of the problem. It may be overkill to have an independent report and recommendations but it wouldn't be a bad idea given the concerns around oil shipments in our harbour.
