Nearly 10 years after an environmental disaster on B.C.’s central coast, the Heiltsuk Nation is still seeking compensation for their cultural losses. A delegation is in the United Kingdom this week to deliver the message to the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations body that oversees shipping. “We depend on being able to go out and harvest in the ocean for our sustainability,” Heiltsuk elected Chief Marilyn Slett said as she addressed an IMO assembly in London. Slett spoke about the sinking of the Nathan E. Stewart, an American tugboat, which ran aground near Athlone Island in Heiltsuk territory in October of 2016. The tug spilled more than 110,000 litres of diesel fuel into the marine environment. “It polluted over 1,500 acres of territory. We have not harvested in those sites. They’ve been closed since,” Slett told the delegates at the IMO meeting. According to Slett, not only have fishing and harvesting opportunities been limited, but the spill has also prevented Heiltsuk elders from sharing traditional knowledge with younger generations. “We’ve lost many opportunities for young people to learn and grow as Heiltsuk citizens on our lands and waters,” she told CTV News. That is the primary reason the Heiltsuk delegation travelled to London to address the IMO. Slett said the Heiltsuk want regulatory changes that would put the shipping industry on the hook financially for cultural losses as a result of fuel spills and other marine accidents. “We also met with Transport Canada, who are members of the legal committee,” Slett said. “We requested that Canada come to the table with Heiltsuk to resolve the restoration and compensation of the Nathan E. Stewart.” CTV News reached out to Transport Canada for comment but did not receive a response before deadline. Slett is scheduled to address the IMO assembly a second time on Wednesday.
