Fisheries, justice minister visit diesel spill site on B.C. coast
BELLA BELLA, B.C. — Two federal ministers have visited a community on British Columbia’s central coast where residents are concerned diesel fuel from a sunken tug could have devastating long-term effects on their economy and environment.
Marilyn Slett, chief of the Heiltsuk Nation, says Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould spoke with community members and did a fly-over of the scene on Sunday.
She says the First Nation invited the politicians because they thought it was important that members of the federal government see the “disaster situation” firsthand.
The Nathan E. Steward had more than 220,000 litres of diesel on board when it ran aground and sank in the waters near Bella Bella, B.C., on Oct. 13.