Government

A tanker carrying condensate unloads at the Port of Kitimat. Condensate is a toxic petrochemical used to thin the tar-like oil extracted from the tar sands. Since 2006 the federal government has ignored the long-standing moratorium by allowing oil tankers loaded with condensate to sail the Inside Passage.

Allowing the tankers to travel through Dixon Entrance and Hecate Strait is a violation of the moratorium on tanker traffic. But Transport Canada has approved tanker traffic through this area without any public consultations or environmental or economic impact studies. Although the tankers pass through the traditional territories of several First Nations, there has been little consultation within their communities as required by law.

The federal government should enforce and strengthen the long standing moratorium on coastal tanker traffic. To do so, the federal government must create a permanent ban that that prohibits oil tankers from traveling through Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait, and Queen Charlotte Sound.

Living Oceans Society is asking the federal government to:

1. Enforce the moratorium on oil tanker traffic on B.C.’s coast.
2. Strengthen the moratorium on oil tankers to make it a permanent ban
3. Invest in renewable energy solutions and begin the transition away from fossil fuels