This submission contains West Coast Environmental Law’s comments on the BC government’s 2018 Policy Intentions Paper on spill preparedness and response in BC. The Intentions Paper was released as part of the second phase of BC’s consultation process regarding proposed spill response regulations, following concerns expressed by numerous British Columbians about the need to better protect lands, waterways and communities from spill risks.
West Coast proposes a series of principles that must guide spill response in BC, including more public involvement in spill response planning, a need for polluters to pay for the full extent of environmental damage, and regulations that embody BC’s commitment to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.