The second mate of the tug Nathan E. Stewart fell asleep on watch when the tug grounded off Bella Bella, on October 13, 2016, according to an investigation report released by the United States National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB also said “Contributing to the grounding was the ineffective implementation of the company’s safety management […]
Ninety-seven years ago, long before the main townsite was founded in the 1950s, (the Haisla Nation, of course, had been here for thousands of years) Kitimat was to play a short, now forgotten and unlucky role in the First World War with the launch of a vessel in New Westminster called the War Kitimat as […]
The United States Coast Guard says the US and Canadian Coast Guards will "conduct a towing evolution using a State of Alaska Emergency Towing System" on Friday afternoon off Juneau, Alaska. The participating vessels are the Canadian Coast Guard Marine Service Vessel and Ice Strengthened Medium Navaids Tender CCGS Bartlett and the US Coast Guard cutter USGC Maple. Like […]
When the Russian container ship Simushir lost power in heavy weather west of Haida Gwaii last Thursday and driven by westerly winds came dangerously close to the rocky coast, Canada and British Columbia had to scramble to get vessels to the ship and try to tow it out of danger to Prince Rupert. Like all […]
On Monday, October 20, 2014, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea, stood in the House of Commons during Question Period and proved she is not up for the job. Answering questions from Opposition MPs about the incident of the Russian container ship, Simushir, which drifted dangerously close to the coast of Haida Gwaii, […]
It appears that the Stephen Harper's strategy for approving Northern Gateway has been revealed on background to The Globe and Mail's Gary Mason. (Either it's a revelation or a trial balloon). It comes down to the idea that Harper will approve Gateway “in the national interest,” count on a vote split between the NDP and […]
There is more proof that the toxic agents in crude oil are damaging to the development of fish embryos. A study, "Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil Impacts the Developing Hearts of Large Predatory Pelagic Fish," to be published on March 25, shows that several Gulf of Mexico fish embryos developed serious defects in heart development following […]
The Haisla Nation response to the federal government's request for consultation on the Joint Review Panel report on the Northern Gateway lists what the First Nation sees as flaws in the panel's assessment of the project. (The Haisla filed their first list of flaws in the JRP in a court challenge). In the response, seen […]
The possible effects of a bitumen spill on Pacific waters were not considered in the oil response preparedness report released last week by the Harper government, the background data study reveals. The consulting firm that did the study for Transport Canada, Genivar Inc, had no reliable data on the effect of a bitumen […]
The list of participants in the oil spill preparedness and response study released last week by the federal government shows two glaring no shows, the District of Kitimat and Rio Tinto Alcan. The Haisla Nation and the Gitga'at Nation did provide written submissions to the panel. The expert panel was set up by the federal […]