VANCOUVER - An internal B.C. government document says hydrocarbons were found in food sources near Hartley Bay as early as a week after the Queen of the North sank.
The briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press under the Freedom of Information Act was prepared for Environment Minister Barry Penner. It says hydrocarbons were found in shellfish at five of 13 sensitive locations affected by the fuel leaking out of the sunken B.C. ferry in Wright Sound.
The aboriginal residents of nearby Hartley Bay say fuel continues to bubble up and they have not harvested in the area for a year.
They're angry that nothing has been done about the situation despite the authorities' awareness of the contamination.
Two passengers were lost when the Queen of the North sank in March 2006 after slamming into Gil Island.
