Talks of lifting Canada’s oil tanker ban along the North Coast of British Columbia continue to meet significant resistance, as environmental concerns, marine safety risks and Indigenous opposition mount.
As pipeline talks between the Alberta government and Ottawa heat up, many provincial and federal leaders are advocating for the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act to remain in effect.
In 1972, the Government of Canada placed a moratorium on crude oil traffic through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound due to concerns of a catastrophic oil spill because of hazardous ocean conditions. The original moratorium was adopted into law in 2019 and bans oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil or persistent oil products as cargo from stopping, loading, or unloading at ports or marine installations in the moratorium area.
Hecate Strait, which tankers would need to traverse, was identified in Environment Canada’s Marine Weather Hazards Manual (1992) as one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world. While the strait is incredibly dangerous for all vessels, hazards are amplified for small vessels . Rough conditions in the Hecate Strait are most prevalent in the fall and winter months but are still dominant in the summer and spring. The strait is known for steep, closely spaced waves that can compromise a vessel’s stability, with high risk of swamping or capsizing.
During dangerous conditions, crews need to follow strict guidelines, said Transport Canada.
“It is the responsibility of the captain of a vessel to ensure they are operating safely for the vessel, crew and environment. Vessels that operate in Canada are subject to a comprehensive safety regime, one that is built upon a combination of international standards and domestic-specific requirements.”
Over the last 30 years, four major incidents have occurred in the Hecate Strait involving investigation by the Transport Safety Board of Canada. Of the four incidents, three involved fishing vessels and resulted in one fatality. The fourth and most recent incident occurred in 2022, when a passenger vessel was attempting to get to more sheltered water after a shift in weather conditions. The forces of the wind and waves combined caused the vessel to heel and take on water leading to it eventually capsizing. Of the seven people on board, all were safely rescued.
Despite the danger, the Haida Nation historically crossed the strait in cedar canoes up to 60 feet long, according to Paddling Magazine (Spring 2024 edition). The article also suggests that, “no one conquers the strait. Rather, they sneak across in a rare moment of calm, always aware conditions could change in a heartbeat.”
Author of The Golden Spruce, John Vaillant, wrote that weather in the Hecate Strait is incredibly volatile.
“The Strait is a malevolent weather factory. During winter storms, waves can reach 10 to 20 metres and expose the sea floor. The result is one of the most diabolically hostile environments that wind, sea and land are capable of conjuring,” wrote Vaillant.
Another factor that will make lifting the tanker ban difficult is the presence of several marine protected areas, including reefs made of glass sponges—rare deep-sea animals named for their silica-based skeletons. Once believed extinct for 40 million years, the first modern reef was discovered in 1987 by Canadian scientists surveying the Hecate Strait seabed. As of today Hecate Strait contains the only know glass sponge reefs in the world.
With glass sponges being so rare, the government of Canada designated the glass sponge reefs in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound as marine protected areas in 2017. The Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Areas Regulations dictate that activities that disturb, damage, destroy or remove any living marine organism or any part of its habitat or is likely to do so are prohibited. There are several exceptions, such as non damaging fishing that follows the Fisheries Act and its regulations and the navigation of marine vessels through the area that are in accordance with the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) has warned that nearby tanker traffic could disrupt the ecosystem or irreparably damage the sponge reefs.
“Although the sponge reefs have survived for 9,000 years, human activities now damage and threaten the glass sponge reefs and all the other animals that live among them. In 1999, during a survey of the reefs, scientists noticed large areas of the reefs that were completely destroyed by bottom trawling and other harmful fishing activities. Unfortunately, scientists believe that by the time the reefs were discovered in 1987, fishing activity had already destroyed half of them.”
A major spill, critics argue, could drive the fragile reefs to extinction. Due to Hecate Strait’s turbulent waters, a spill could travel as far south as Queen Charlotte Sound or even Vancouver Island.
Opposition to lifting the ban is also strong among several North Coast First Nations. Leaders have expressed concerns that lifting the tanker ban without their consent would violate their treaty rights. First Nations oppose lifting the tanker ban due to concerns of environmental impacts as well as impacts to their fishing practices. The tanker ban was put in place for a reason and must be upheld, said Coastal First Nations president Marilyn Slett.
“In 2019, Ottawa passed Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, to protect our coastal waters on behalf of all Canadians. Bill C-48 represents how valuable our coast is to all British Columbians, and we, along with the province, remain committed to keeping it in place.”
Early in November, the B.C. provincial government along with several coastal First Nations signed the North Coast Protection Declaration which urges the federal government to uphold the tanker ban. The declaration states that repealing the tanker ban could risk major projects in B.C. and could cost the province billions of dollars in investments and thousands of jobs.
The removal of the tanker ban could be catastrophic to many British Columbians, said B.C. Premiere David Eby.
“We urge the federal government to stand firm in its commitment to uphold the tanker ban. Protecting the North Coast is not an item for negotiation – it is a national responsibility, and it is a quantifiable investment in Canada’s treasured marine environment and the economic prosperity of future generations.”
