Vancouver Islanders are at the forefront of a group of NDP MPs demanding the new Minister for Fisheries, Oceans take immediate action to address the cargo spilled from the MV Zim Kingston off the Vancouver Island coast.

A joint letter to Joyce Murray and the Canadian Coast Guard asks the ministry to engage local groups familiar with the area to help coordinate shoreline cleanups, and to ensure that the debris salvaged does not B次元官网网址渂ecome a strain on local community landfills.B次元官网网址�

The letter was signed by Island MPs Lisa Marie Barron, Laurel Collins, Gord Johns, Randall Garrison, Rachel Blaney and Alistair MacGregor, as well as NDP Transport Critic Taylor Bachrach. It acknowledges that while the MV Zim Kingston owner has hired a salvage firm, the B次元官网网址渇irm contracted had little understanding of the geography of the area, nor any experience of the local realities which affect the coordination of shoreline cleanup, which has led to unacceptable delays in mobilising ground crews to remediate the damage being done by the grounded containers.B次元官网网址�

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B次元官网网址淲e have a very narrow window to take effective action to contain the items which are already onshore. The federal government must urgently use all of the tools at their disposal to mitigate this disaster,B次元官网网址� said Collins. B次元官网网址淭he Liberal government needs to work with coastal communities, non-profit groups and local First Nations immediately to have a coordinated approach to this urgent matter.B次元官网网址�

The MPs further ask that the government provides oversight to ensure the company is responsible for each container that fell overboard, and that a tactical response team and plan are set up to reduce impacts from this kind of accident.

B次元官网网址淭he urgent priority in the short-term is making sure the federal government and the company fully clean up the current spill. Longer term, we need to look at the regulations under which these ships operate to ensure Canada is doing everything it can to protect our coastal environment from these kinds of incidents,B次元官网网址� said Bachrach.

The MV Zim Kingston encountered rough seas on Oct. 22, causing 109 shipping containers to fall off the vessel. A container fire broke out the next day on the vessel while it was anchored near Victoria. A hazardous chemical used in the mining industry, potassium amylxanthate, was stored in two of the containers that had caught fire, and in two containers that had gone overboard.

B次元官网网址淭he spillB次元官网网址� will no doubt have extreme implications on our local marine life and the health of the ocean,B次元官网网址� said Barron. B次元官网网址淲e are urging the federal government to do all they can to prevent even more damage being done to our coast and ocean. We are also offering our local knowledge and connections with our coastal communities and environmental organizations to address this crisis in a timely, and well-thought-out manner.B次元官网网址�

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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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