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Intercity bus service faces closure
Turpel-Lafond’s report stresses the need for be er access to general practitioners for preventative treatment
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
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Victoria, BC - A follow up report on discrimination in B.C.’s health care system is stressing the need to improve access to primary treatment, as too many Indigenous people are forced to seek help in the emergency department due to little access to a family doctor. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond delivered the report today, after being commissioned by the province to investigate allegations of racism against Indigenous peoples in health care. Her 240-page follow up report is fi lled with data collected from nearly 9,000 people who helped to inform In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous -Specifi c Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care, which was released on Nov. 30. The Feb. 4 follow up includes numbers on the high volume of Indigenous patients who rely on emergency services for conditions that often should be treated earlier during routine check ups, said Turpel-Lafond. “First Nations, on average, are 75 per cent more likely to visit the emergency than anyone else - and the reason for that is that they are not attached to primary care,” said the former judge and provincial child advocate during a Feb. 4 press conference. “Their needs get more acute because they don’t get primary care. And when they go into emergency, it may not
Province of B.C. video still On Feb. 4 Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond pointed to the failure of B.C.’s primary care system to adequately serve Indigenous patients, thereby causing a reliance on hospital emergency departments to treat a variety of conditions. be the place to do the referral, to do the communication, to provide the culturallysafe care, because at times emergency departments themselves are in a state of crisis.” Preventative treatment is being missed, noted Turpel-Lafond, citing pap testing for cervical cancer as an example. Although Indigenous women have a cervical cancer rate that is 1.6 times higher than the rest of the B.C. population, testing for this disease is signifi cantly lower among aboriginal females. “The health care system in B.C. is a much diff erent experience if you’re an Indigenous person than if you’re a nonIndigenous person,” said Turpel-Lafond. “Instead of having routine health care, we don’t have the continuum; we have the emergency department.” The lack of access to a general or nurse practitioner is particularly concerning for Indigenous people over 65, according to the follow up report. “These elders are not attached to primary care at a rate 89 per cent higher than non-First Nations people in British Columbia – and that, in fact, is quite a staggering fi nding of this data report,” commented Turpel-Lafond. “Poor access to primary care may be driving the lower screening rates for treatable cancers.” The investigation that informs In Plain Sight began in June, after allegations surfaced that a discriminatory game was being played in at least one B.C. emergency department at the expense of Indigenous patients. Reports claimed that a “Price is Right” competition was being played by emergency room staff , guessing the blood-alcohol content of aboriginal patients as they entered the hospital. Although Turpel-Lafond did not fi nd evidence of this particular game, in her initial report she found that racism is an “undeniable” problem in B.C. health care, stressing the need for “fundamental changes to beliefs, behaviours and systems” that guide the current services. In Plain Sight has 24 recommendations, including the establishment of an offi ce of the Indigenous health representative and advocate, as well as improvements in the complaint processes facilities use. During the Feb. 4 press conference Health Minister Adrian Dix spoke of the current overreliance on the ER, a dynamic that has no doubt challenged the province as health authorities struggle to contain COVID-19. “The fact that so many people around our province - Indigenous people - encounter the health care system through the emergency room and not through primary care is a challenge to our health care system,” he said.
VI’s intercity bus service at risk of permanent closure
By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Vancouver Island, BC – Countless members of First Nation communities on Vancouver Island’s west coast will have to start thinking of new ways to get around. Perhaps permanently. That’s because the Tofi no Bus, which provides services to 29 communities as well as 21 First Nations or organizations on Vancouver Island, will not be resuming service as previously scheduled this Friday, Feb. 12. The Tofi no Bus is currently Vancouver Island’s only intercity bus service. Earlier this month offi cials with The Wilson’s Group of Companies, which operates the Tofi no Bus, announced it would not start up its service again on Feb. 12. The announcement also stated that without a signifi cant subsidy from the provincial government, there is the risk the Wilson’s Transportation service could be suspended forever. Samantha Wilson, the brand manager for The Wilson’s Group of Companies, said a proposal was sent to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming seeking a $3 million subsidy for the next year in order for the Tofi no Bus to continue operating. “Looking at our numbers, we can’t start this up (without the subsidy),” Wilson said. Back in 2019, the Tofi no bus provided a total of 82,500 trips. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and various travel restrictions, however, since March of this past year revenues for the Vancouver Island routes have been down 95 per cent. “We had to cancel more runs than we were running,” Wilson said. Bus service was shut down entirely from mid-March until July last year. B.C. health regulations shut down the service again in December. A resumption of service in January was pushed back until this Friday. Company offi cials believe that they would not be able to even cover their costs of running any sort of service with the current rate of passengers. On Monday, Feb. 8 Wilson said discussions with provincial offi cials have been ongoing in recent days. “They have said we are working on something but we are not sure what that will be,” she said. Wilson said if the provincial government does indeed provide The Wilson’s Group of Companies with the $3 million subsidy it is requesting, it would not take long to start providing bus service once again. “We could be up and running pretty quickly,” she said. Wilson added if the provincial government does provide less than the $3 million subsidy request, then bus service could potentially still resume. But if that is the case, Wilson said some number crunching would have to be done and that might result in fewer buses on the road or possibly no buses on certain days of the week. “It would be dependent on the details of the funding,” Wilson said. “We know what we asked for and what we need.” Offi cials from Wilson’s Transportation have been in contact with various First Nations leaders, as well as local and provincial government representatives, to keep them informed of the seriousness and potential loss of bus service to their communities. “It could have a very negative eff ect on our community members,” said Ahousaht First Nation’s Chief Councillor Greg Louie. But Louie believes those from his First Nation would fi nd ways to cope if there
Submitted photo Samantha Wilson, the brand manager of The Wilson’s Group of Companies, said a $3 million government subsidy is required to resume bus service to Vancouver Island’s west coast communities. was no bus service from his community. He believes Ahousaht members would rely on family members or friends to help get them the necessities required, either by off ering a ride or picking up goods themselves. “We are a forward-thinking community,” Louie said. “We’d survive somehow and I’m sure we’d fi nd ways to be able to get to the city or cities somehow.” But not all First Nations, including some remote Nuu-chah-nulth communities, would be able to fi nd easy alternatives. Louie is unwilling to speculate what effects a cancelled bus service would have elsewhere. “I can’t speak for other First Nations and I wouldn’t want to speak for other First Nations,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of infrastructure they have.” Michael Lee, the B.C. Liberal Transportation and Infrastructure Critic, is among those who have urged Fleming to take quick action. “If the minister does not act soon, thousands of people who live in these communities will be left without vital transportation routes, becoming increasingly isolated,” Lee wrote in a letter calling on Fleming to respond to the potential crisis. Lee added that the issue is not only a concern for the present. “Communities need access to these transportation networks now, and they need assurances that these companies will be able to operate these services in the years ahead,” he said.
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2. The client must: a. Be eligible for the NIHB Program; and b. Be currently enrolled or eligible to be enrolled in a provincial or territorial health insurance plan and continue to meet residency requirements for provincial/territorial health coverage.
3. For Transportation to Medical Services: For transportation to medical services outside of the country the client must be referred for provincially/territorially insured medical services by a provincial or territorial health care plan for treatment Shaganappi Plaza: wage change for Building Maintenance and Superintendent Windspeaker.com http://www.windspeaker.com/news/sweetgrass-news/building-maintenanceand-superintendent/ ammsa.com http://www.ammsa.com/content/careers/shaganappi-plaza-ltd-calgary outside of Canada.
4. For Supplemental Health Insurance Premiums: Full-time students enrolled in a post-secondary institution to study outside of Canada must provide a letter of confi rmation that tuition, which is not an eligible benefi t under the NIHB Program, has been paid.
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For Supplemental Health Insurance Premiums: -
The cost of privately acquired health insurance premiums for approved students or migrant workers and their legal dependents will be reimbursed.
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Transportation benefi ts when eligible clients are medically referred and approved for treatment outside of Canada by a provincial or territorial health care plan.
For further information on coverage outside of Country you are encouraged to call First Nations & Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), Vancouver BC toll free @ 1-800-317-7878
What You Should Know- “Before” Leaving British Columbia
If you are leaving the province, you should be aware that your coverage may not pay all health care costs.
Health services provided outside Canada often cost more than the amount paid by the Ministry of Health Services. Sometimes the diff erence is substantial; for example, the amount we pay for emergency inpatient hospital care will not exceed $75 (Canadian) a day for United States of exceeds $1,000 (US) per day and can be as high as $10,000 a day for intensive care.
In addition, some items/services that may be a benefi t in BC are not covered outside the province; for example, prescription drugs and optometric services. Further, the Ministry does not subsidize fees charged for ambulance service obtained outside BC.
We advise you to buy additional health insurance to supplement your basic coverage before you leave the province, regardless of whether you’ll be in another part of Canada or outside the country – even if your company or travel agency can advise you about extra coverage to pay for any diff erence in fees and to provide benefi ts not covered by the Ministry. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you must mention this when purchasing additional insurance as most policies will not cover treatment of that condition outside the province.
In some cases you may purchase an insurance policy where the insurance company has a signed agreement with the Ministry. This permits the company to pay physician and hospital claims and receive reimbursement on your behalf thus eliminating the need for you to handle your own claims.
NOTE: Ambulance – If you require ambulance service while in another province or outside Canada, you will need to obtain service from an ambulance company in that jurisdiction and will be charged the fee established by the-out-of-province service provider. Fees range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
When purchasing additional out-of-province health insurance you are advised to obtain insurance that will cover emergency transportation while you are away and, if necessary the cost of transportation back to BC.
President’s message to Nuu-chah-nulth-aht
Greetings Everyone. I hope everyone is keeping healthy. I have to acknowledge lives lost in the past month and send my heartfelt sympathies. I have been enjoying the reconciliation sessions that we are having on Zoom. It is good to see people on the computer and listen to them on what they think the Government of Canada should be doing to make things right for Nuu-chah-nulth as a whole. There have been sessions on language and culture, wildlife, housing, MMIW, RCMP, women and on fi sheries. On Feb. 16th, 1-4 p.m., we are doing fi sheries again as we did not have too many people online and would like to have input from our fi sherman and leadership. In all our sessions we have agreed that the term reconciliation is not ours and we are asking people for another term in our language. This week on Feb. 9th 6-7:30 p.m. we asked youth to join us. Check the Ha-Shilth-Sa Facebook page for the Zoom links of all our sessions. Hope to see you online. The federal government tabled Bill C-15, which is a law that makes the federal government to bring all their laws in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). I have had a couple phone calls with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and his staff to discuss how they can make the law better. We need to make sure the law is one that will help First Nations across Canada and not be a source of frustration with the government not living up to the law. The proposed law calls for an action plan to deal with systemic discrimination. While racism can be included in discrimination, we think that racism should be named as it is the root of the negative things that impact our lives. We had a call with the chiefs in B.C. on this proposed bill and someone brought up the TRC and how that talks about cultural genocide. One of my concerns is that we need an independent body that has teeth and can make the federal government and First Nations work together to achieve what is in UNDRIP, like free, prior and informed consent, or providing compensation, reparation and restitution and self-determination. The B.C. law, Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), does not establish an independent body and 15 months later, we have not seen a change in government to implement UNDRIP. The chiefs across Canada are meeting next week to talk about Bill C-15 and it will be a challenge as a fair number of First Nations are opposed to this proposed law. We had our monthly directors meeting and reviewed the current business of the NTC. We discussed how our First Nations can take advantage of a new B.C. funding initiative called Clean Coast, Clean Waters. You can apply to clean up ocean waters in your territory and through the funding create jobs and provide services. The directors also discussed the potential shut down of the bus service on Vancouver Island that services many of our communities. Due to COVID, and not many people riding buses, the Tofi no Bus has not been making money. They need the B.C. government to help them fi nancially to keep them going. Leaders expressed their concerns for the safety of our women having to hitchhike. It is an essential service for our members to get to appointments. We provided a letter of support to the bus service in their ask for fi nancial help from B.C. so that the buses can continue. We fi nally came to an agreement with the Provincial Health Offi cer and they will now share how many COVID cases there are in communities close to ours like Tofi no, Ucluelet, Port Alberni, Gold River, Zeballos, Campbell River, Nanaimo, Port McNeil and Bamfi eld. There are some conditions on getting that information. We are not able to share with our members and public how many cases there are until there are a certain threshold number of cases out there. We also cannot solely attribute these numbers to the PHO and B.C. What is important is that we have the numbers of COVID cases around us and your nation can advise you on the level of risk about going into diff erent towns for essential travel. I have been talking to our communities about signing this agreement. We have now had vaccinations in 11 of the 14 nations. Hupacasath, Tseshaht and Ucluelet have not had their vaccinations. With the shortage of vaccinations that is happening across Canada, we are not sure how soon this will happen. Remote First Nations were the priority and they have now received their vaccinations. We are anxiously awaiting news of the second vaccinations so vaccination can be the most eff ective. At the NTC, we are really encouraging all Nuu-chah-nulth who are comfortable with it to get the vaccine. We all have to remember that because some have had the vaccinations, that many have not. We need to continue to take the usual precautions. Keep yourself and family well protected, you are very important to the Nuu-chah-nulth. I got involved in a press conference asking the federal government to change their laws and regulations to stop cruise ships from dumping harmful sewage, ammonia, heavy metals and fecal coliforms into our ocean waters. Alaska, California and Washington have laws that prevent cruise ship dumping in their waters and so these ships wait until they get to B.C. waters to dump their wastes. We need to ensure that our ocean ecosystems are protected so our salmon and other sea resources remain plentiful for our own uses. Vina Robinson has resigned from her job as Teechuktl manager eff ective February 19, 2021. She has been with us many years and has accomplished much over the years. Vina has been an amazing leader who achieved much for Nuu-chahnulth-aht. We thank her, hold her up, wish her the best in her future and let her know she will be dearly missed.
Position Summary: Reporting to Chief and Council, the Tribal Administrator oversees and directs the operations of the organization to meet the Nation’s vision, mission, and values. This position is responsible for the ongoing success of the Nation’s operations, providing sound leadership and direction to its employees and establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with external business partners.
Deadline for receipt of application is: February 15, 2021 by 4:30pm
The Tseshaht First Nation Administration Offi ce is now accepting applications for the position of Executive Director. This is a full-time position at 75 hours bi-weekly (37.5 hours per week). JOB PURPOSE
This position oversees the general management of Administrations programs, services, and fi nancial operations by conducting ongoing reviews of results and by eff ective delegation to reporting staff , including but not limited to: Offi ce Services, Public Works, Housing, Social Development and Health, Community Services, Membership, Daycare, Lands and Resources, Culture and Language, Fisheries and Beach keepers. This position provides leadership to Community and Project Committees and works in concert with Council to ensure due processes are in place for aligning objectives with operating budgets. This position is accountable to support Council with the handling of public, media and government offi ces communications and as the designated senior management authority for the operation and compliance of all associated regulatory requirements and within the guidelines of Human resource and Departmental policies and procedures. As delegated by Council, this position acts within assigned discretionary and non-discretionary authorities, thereby ensuring that Council retains required jurisdiction of the operational and fi nancial governance of the Nation. This position is instrumental to ensuring the achievement of Council’s goals for the fair, transparent and responsible governance of a sustainable Community and Nation. JOB SKILLS, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
• A post secondary degree is required with preference given to educational accreditation and other training in the fi elds of Business Administration, First Nation Administration, Human Resources, Community Services, Social Development, Land Use Planning and Public Works • Additional certifi cates/ accreditations relevant to the management of First Nation of Municipal Offi ce organizations, such as Strategic Planning, Project Management, Policy Development and Public Relations • Proven 5 to 7 years of senior management work experiences, preferably acquired in community government or public work sectors • Sound knowledge of First Nations community and membership environments and the statutory framework that governs how First Nations organizations operate • A comprehensive awareness and understanding of HR programs and policies; ability to manage, direct and motivate staff and to lead by example • Well-developed written and verbal communication skills; good analytical skills and adept with comprehending complex political situations, legal compliance matters, budgets and fi nancial results • A demonstrated ability to respectfully build relationships and develop rapport HOW TO APPLY
Submit a cover letter, resume and three (3) current references to: Tseshaht First Nation, Attention: Executive Assistant, Virginia Shrimpton by mail: 5091 Tsuma-as Drive, Port Alberni BC, V9Y 8X9; or by email: vshrimpton@tseshaht.com CLOSING DATE: February 23, 2021 Tseshaht First Nation is an equal opportunity employer and encourages/ expects that its membership and other First Nation members will apply with job qualifi cation. Where possible, employment opportunities and contracted services shall be off ered to Tseshaht members where qualifi ed and eligible. Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations Job Opportuntiy Home & Community Care Worker
Position Summary: Provide home care support to the Nation’s members who require additional help to maintain a healthy standard of living given their medical state, on an on-call basis. This posting is on-going
Province fails to account for long-term logging impacts on communties, environmental group says in report
By Mike Youds Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
A call for urgent reforms in logging practices to protect B.C. communities from climate change impacts refl ects what First Nations have known all along, says NTC President Judith Sayers. “There is so much at stake,” Sayers said after speaking out on the issue, publicly backing a Sierra Club report released Feb. 1. “I’m hoping people wake up. The forest fi res two summers ago in British Columbia were just devastating.” Intact Forests, Safe Communities, commissioned by Sierra Club B.C. and written by forest consultant Peter Wood, points to a glaring omission from B.C.’s Climate Risk Assessment: a failure to account for logging impacts. Wood contends industrial logging can have a major eff ect on frequency and severity of climate-related risks such as fl oods, landslides and wildfi re. “If the B.C. government is serious about reducing the risk to human health and safety posed by climate change, current forest practices will have to be fundamentally changed,” he concludes. Wood endorses recommendations of the province’s Old Growth Strategic Review, completed six months ago: “It is now a matter of implementing them.” According to the review, much of B.C.’s old growth strategy was either disregarded or never implemented after it was developed 30 years ago. “Had that strategy been fully implemented, we would likely not be facing the challenges around old growth to the extent we are today,” wrote foresters Al Gorley and Garry Merkel. The review points to “a recognition that society is undergoing a paradigm shift in its relationship with the environment, and the way we manage our old forests needs to adapt accordingly.” B.C. Forestry Alliance, a group of forest industry workers and supporters on the Island, sees it diff erently. The alliance formed two years ago in Campbell River out of frustration during a lengthy labour dispute. “There has to be a balance and what they’re asking for is not a balance,” said Carl Sweet, alliance spokesman. He maintains that old growth is already well protected and thinks the province has already gone too far in shrinking the harvestable land base: “When does it stop?” During the 2020 election, Premier John Horgan committed to full implementation of the old growth review recommendations. As an initial step, the province deferred old growth logging for two years in nine areas totalling 350,000 hectares, including Clayoquot Sound. Scientists, foresters and environmental groups maintain the actual amount of old forest protected amounts to a small fraction of that. Meanwhile, second-growth logging continues in those areas. Echoing the strategic review, the Sierra Club report calls on the province to engage Indigenous decisionmakers in a government-to-government process and to revise all forest legislation in accordance with the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). The declaration obligates governments to respect and support Indigenous management of forests within their territories. “First Nations have long been lobbying the B.C. government to recognize their right to manage the forest in their territories and to protect their sacred
Photo by Mike Youds A felled western red cedar, about 700 years old, at Nahmint Lake. Logging in the area is being used as an example of unsustainable forestry practices. sites, old-growth ecosystems that support medicinal plants, and habitat for wildlife and birds,” Sayers said. “Through management of their forests, they would keep healthy forests with high environmental standards.” The NDP government has continued the same approach to forest practices as its Liberal predecessors, Sayers said, citing as an example the logging of old growth in the Nahmint Valley. She sees need for a more ecologically and culturally considered approach, with greater protection of watersheds for salmon habitat and drinking water. “As Nuu-chah-nulth people we have watched forestry activities in our communities and we’ve been very dissatisfi ed,” she said. Forest-managed “salmon parks” — proposed by Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint and Nuchatlaht First Nations — off er an alternative approach, she said. “Climate change is very real and we are living with the impacts of it now and one of the ways to deal with it, to try to mitigate it, is through forest management,” Sayers said. “With drier summers, there is less water or no water in some streams. We’ve got to protect what we have now.” The proportion of B.C. forests that remain intact and the diversity of forest types are key factors in mitigating impacts of a warming climate, yet time is running out, according to the Sierra Club report. “There are, however, limits to mitigating climate risks, and unless greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are not reduced to net zero globally in the near future, it will be nearly impossible to prevent catastrophic impacts to forests,” Wood writes. “Around the world, scientists are already witnessing widespread climate-induced forest die-off , creating a dangerous carbon cycle feedback, both by releasing large amounts of stored carbon and by reducing the extent of the future forest carbon sink.” Sweet defends the industry and the jobs it brings to rural communities, First Nations among them. He doesn’t agree with the science behind the report, either. “I think forestry workers are playing a role in carbon sequestration,” Sweet said. Converting forests into wood products is a means of locking up carbon rather than having it enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, he said. The BCFA has led a letter and texting campaign directed at Horgan, opposing any reduction of the harvestable land base while also calling for “substantive dialogue with First Nations working towards forestry-based stability for their communities.” Sweet concedes changes in forest practices are needed, but believes the industry is keeping pace with climate change. “They want to ensure they don’t overcut,” he said. “They only harvest one-third of one percent a year. As we reduce the harvestable land base, we will concentrate harvesting on smaller and smaller areas. They can harvest larger areas less frequently.” Sayers believes there is a need to keep pushing government on the most pressing issues, such as forest management reform, even as COVID-19 continues to dominate public attention. Implementation of DRIPA, adopted by the province over a year ago, is another example, a source of continued frustration. “What changes have we seen? The premier says they’re waiting for an action plan. I’m waiting for serious discussions in each of the sectors on how we change this,” she said.
UCHUCKLESAHT TRIBE PEOPLES ASSEMBLY
Date: Saturday March 6, 2021 Location: ZOOM (send your email to get invite to carla.halvorsen@uchucklesaht.ca) Time: Meeting 9:00am-12:00pm What: Peoples Assembly Re: Budget Facilitator: Sco! Coulson Who: Uchucklesaht Tribe Citizens & Enrollees
TSESHAHT MARKET
GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC RIM
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Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council lends voice to demand for stricter regulation, as industry on hold until 2022
By Mike Youds Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Lax regulations compared to neighbouring U.S. states have made Canada’s West Coast a convenient dumping ground for cruise ship pollution, environmentalists believe. While the cruise ship industry disputes the claim and defends its standards, Stand.earth and West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) are pressing the federal government to step up with marine discharge regulations comparable to those in California, Washington and Alaska. The two groups — with vocal support from Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council — say their investigation determined that cruise ship companies take advantage of Canada’s relatively weak regulation of cruise ship pollution. Canada adopted new regulations a decade ago, but the report says they still fall short of standards in other West Coast jurisdictions north and south, a diff erence that gives cruise ships an incentive to discharge waste in Canadian waters. The report points to a boom in cruise ship traffi c in recent years and estimates they discharge annually more than 31 billion litres of sewage, waste or grey water and, with newer ships, wash water from scrubbed exhaust emissions as they travel through B.C. waters. “The shocking fi ndings of this report are that Canada has the weakest regulations along the West Coast, and as a result, ships are using our coast as a toilet bowl,” said Anna Barford of Stand.earth. “Cruise ships are literally holding onto pollution as they traverse California, Washington or Alaska, and then dumping it off into our coast, even in the Great Bear Rainforest.” Changes should be made now, with cruise ships tied up during a pandemic shutdown, so that Canada can be ready when the industry resumes operations, Barford added. “Nuu-chah-nulth nations are calling on the federal government to change the laws that regulate the cruise ship industry dumping their harmful waste into our ocean waters,” said NTC President Judith Sayers, who took part in a joint news
Have You Moved?
If you should be getting a copy of the Ha-Shilth-Sa paper delivered to your home and you are not, please contact Holly Stocking at 250-724-5757 or email holly.stocking@ nuuchahnulth.org
Photos by Mike Youds Tseshaht family paddlers greet Holland America cruise ship Maasdam after it dropped anchor in Alberni harbour in 2019 (above). Maasdam passengers who ventured ashore in Port Alberni two season ago received a warm welcome. conference via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 3. “Our oceans are our bread basket where we get all the sea resources we rely on for food, and the waters must be protected from harmful substances.” A day after Stand.earth’s news conference, the federal government extended its COVID-19 cruise ship ban for more than a year, until Feb. 28, 2022. Cruise lines usually drive a $2.7 billion industry in B.C., employing an estimated 17,000 workers. The sector is considered a major contributor to the Canadian economy as well. Industry representatives listened closely to the news conference. “It’s diffi cult to put it in context but we do feel their fi ndings make a lot of assumptions that are not rooted in the data,” said Donna Spalding of Cruise Lines International Association, which represents the major lines. Cruise ships are subject to robust third-party oversight and inspections by “If Canada is truly committed to protect- 0.10 percent. To meet this, they can use governments to ensure they meet interna- ing the health of its coastlines, it must scrubbers, including closed, hybrid or tional standards, Spalding said. Compa- update its current regulations immedi- open-loop systems. nies have invested $23.5 billion into new ately before the cruise industry attempts IMO rules require continuous monitortechnology and the use of cleaner fuels to to pick up where it left off in 2019.” ing of a vessel’s wash water discharges reduce carbon emissions, she noted. Chamber of Shipping President Rob- for pH as a measure of acidity, polycyclic “We’re not insensitive to how people ert Lewis-Manning was also listening aromatic hydrocarbons as a measure of feel about the environment or how they Wednesday. The chamber serves as a oil components, and turbidity as a meawant to protect it,” Spalding said. “In public voice for the marine industry. sure of suspended solids. fact, cruise lines rely on being sensitive Lewis-Manning said it was not the fi rst “Usually, vessels that are going to to it.” time Stand.earth has made this case. He Alaska are equipped with advanced The Stand.earth/WCEL report is also feels their data is weak or misleading, wastewater treatment plants, which have critical of an innovation in the industry though he agrees there is a need for better the ability to treat sewage and result in efto reduce air pollution. More cruise ships monitoring and data. fl uent discharges that are of a high quality are being built with exhaust gas clean- Do cruise ships take advantage of lax and purity that exceed regulatory requireing systems that enable continued use regulations here? ments,” Liu noted in an email response. of high-sulfur heavy fuel oil rather than “I don’t think so, and it’s not as black She added the IMO is working with more costly but cleaner marine gas oil. and white as they may see it,” Lewis- Transport Canada on measures to address Scrubbers use sea water to remove sulfur Manning said of the Stand.earth asser- greenhouse gas emissions and to meet oxides and the wash water is discharged tion. “The reality is the regulations are the goals of its initial strategy, including into the ocean. The report recommends very diff erent. Sewage discharge rules are phasing out emissions from the cruise prohibiting them. It also calls for designa- more stringent in Canada.” ship sector. tion of no-discharge zones in sensitive Transport Canada, which bears respon- The industry has 26 LNG-powered ships areas similar to the protection of Puget sibility for regulating marine discharges, in production but Barford feels LNG Sound in Washington state. said it is reviewing the report’s recom- off ers no environmental gains as another “The pandemic has given us a unique mendations before commenting in detail. greenhouse gas. opportunity to pause and refl ect on the Sau Sau Liu, a Transport Canada In 2019, Holland America’s Maasdam signifi cant risks that the cruise ship spokeswoman, said Canada follows Inter- visited Port Alberni three times. The industry poses to marine ecosystems on national Maritime Organization guide- company was testing the waters for a the Pacifi c coast,” added Michael Bisson- lines updated in 2012. Vessels operating fresh approach to cruise itineraries, ofnette, staff lawyer with WCEL, a long- in Canadian waters can only burn fuel fering more active onshore activities in time advocate on environmental matters. with a maximum sulphur content of up to hopes of attracting younger passengers.
For more information or questions please call the nurses hotline at 811 or a NTC Nurse at 250-724-5757 or 250-725-3367
