British Columbia's handling of hazardous spills falls short, audit reveals

British Columbia's preparedness for hazardous spills is inadequate, with outdated response plans and insufficient compliance oversight, an audit finds.

Amanda Follett Hosgood and Andrew MacLeod report for The Tyee.

In short:

• The audit highlighted that B.C.'s spill response plans are not current, there's a lack of procedures for identifying non-compliance, and First Nations are not consistently informed of spills.
• Nearly $14 million in costs from spills remains unrecovered, mainly from the bankrupt Neucel pulp mill, with the government only recovering a fraction of non-Neucel related costs.
• The Ministry of Environment has accepted nine recommendations from the audit, aiming to improve the province's management of hazardous spills.

Key quote:

"The program is designed for there to be consequences, but those responsible for spills don’t comply with the law."

— Michael Pickup, B.C. auditor general

Why this matters:

This audit reveals significant gaps in British Columbia's preparedness and response to such incidents, underlining the need for urgent reforms to safeguard communities and ecosystems from potential disasters. Effective management of hazardous spills is crucial for protecting public health and the environment.