Responses have been ‘haphazard’

“That’s really concerning to me, given that we’ve been opposing the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion for over a decade.”

The expansion — which involves twinning the 1,150-kilometre pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby — is nearing completion, he said. “And for the province not to be prepared for a major spill along that route is terrifying and unacceptable.”

Past responses to spills have been “really haphazard,” said McCartney, who blames the companies involved as well as the province, in part.

Official reports can contradict what is being seen on the ground, he said. Initial reports may say there were small amounts of oil involved, downplaying the severity, McCartney said. But as information is updated, spills may turn out to be larger.

As for notifying First Nations, McCartney said it’s imperative. “It’s 2024,” he said, adding First Nations “need to be right up there in terms or knowing what is going on on their territory. Because it is their community members who are out on the land and harvesting who are most at risk from a spill of hazardous materials.”

Port Alice Mayor Kevin Cameron said the initial response to the situation at the Neucel mill was poor but that since PricewaterhouseCoopers took over cleanup management, the work has been “textbook.”

Council meets every Monday with PricewaterhouseCoopers representatives and additionally meets every quarter during the year to discuss mill cleanup.

The company is watching costs carefully and its senior staffer in the community of just over 700 people is “making sure that things are safe for us in the future,” Cameron said.

— With files from Carla Wilson, Times Colonist