WHEREAS on August 5, 2005 a Canadian National Railway train derailed in Squamish, resulting in 40,000 litres of Sodium Hydroxide being spilled in the Cheakamus River and Squamish River systems, with the provincial Ministry of Environment responding as the government having jurisdiction; AND WHEREAS on August 4, 2006 a ship the Westwood Anette became damaged while leaving port, resulting in 29,000 litres of bunker oil spilled in the Squamish Harbour, causing substantial environmental damage within the Squamish Estuary and land areas within the Squamish Harbour, with the provincial Ministry of Environment and the Canadian Coast Guard responding as the governments having jurisdiction; AND WHEREAS although the governments having jurisdiction respond on the basis of their policies, pursuant to statute and regulation, with immediate cleanups and remediation, local governments remain the recipient of long-term socio-economic and environmental impacts of the incidents that occur within their areas: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM and FCM petition the federal and provincial governments to recognize local governments within environmental emergency response protocols as active participants, where there is meaningful consultation with local governments and compensation for any local resources utilized during the response and restoration period.
Ministry of Environment The Ministry of Environments Ministry policy is to actively involve all impacted local governments and other stakeholders in its emergency response activities related to the spill of hazardous materials. This is typically achieved through the use of the Incident Command System and Unified Command to manage the incident. The Ministry has recently completed a review of its existing environmental emergency legislation. The Ministry is now in the process of organizing a working group to review the findings and identify possible future changes that might include expanding the scope of our existing spill cost recovery regulation. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The British Columbia Emergency Management Structure supports an integrated response to emergencies. The Province of British Columbia, along with federal agencies, work closely with local authorities to determine any risk to the public. The Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation provides the mechanism to compensate local authorities for operational expenditures.
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS In Resolution LR2, UBCM and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities urge the federal government to recognize local governments as active participants during environmental emergency response measures. Indeed, DFO and the Canadian Coast Guard CCG make a concerted effort to involve local governments wherever it is appropriate, recognizing that they have an intimate knowledge of the needs of their communities. While CCG is part of the first line of response to marine pollution incidents, Environment Canada and the British Columbia Ministry of Environment share the lead on spill response in British Columbia. I note that you have sent a copy of your letter to my colleague, the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment. I recommend you also contact the British Columbia Ministry of Environment on this matter.
FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES Resolution CSCP072.06 - Local Government a Stakeholder in Environmental Disasters was categorized as A and adopted at the 2007 Annual Conference.