Sinking of tug off B.C. coast prompts disaster-response rethink: minister
BELLA BELLA, B.C. — A sunken tug and the subsequent diesel spill on British Columbia’s central coast is prompting a rethink to emergency response that could allow those closest to the disaster to take the lead, says the federal indigenous affairs minister.
Carolyn Bennett told the Assembly of First Nations gathering in Victoria that her government has promised to work should-to-shoulder with the Heiltsuk First Nation in the waters and on the shoreline off Bella Bella that have been soiled by the fuel spill.
But she said sometimes helping may mean stepping back.
“This is about respect and not swooping in and doing something that we think is right. It is about listening to the nation and working with them,” the minister told First Nation leaders.