The Heiltsuk Nation is taking the owners of the tug that spilled 110,000 litres of diesel off the northern B.C. coast to court.

The Kirby Corporation-owned Nathan E. Stewart .

At the time, Heiltsuk Chief Marilyn Slett said the tribal council encountered a lack of co-operation from the government and the owner of the tug throughout the incident, forcing the First Nation to conduct its own investigation.

On Monday, Slett said that the lack of response from the company and the federal and provincial governments had made the 香蕉视频直播渃ommunity香蕉视频直播檚 road to recovery keeps getting longer and longer.香蕉视频直播�

The Nation alleges that 香蕉视频直播渞equests were largely denied or ignored香蕉视频直播� regarding the events that occurred on Oct. 13.

香蕉视频直播淭he oil spill continues to be a catastrophic injury to our food sources, culture, and economy,香蕉视频直播� says Heiltsuk Tribal Council Chief Councillor, Marilyn Slett.

The Heiltsuk Nation claims this secrecy and lack of collaboration has continued throughout the post-spill recovery.

香蕉视频直播淩ecently, we learned the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Kirby have been secretly negotiating an agreement on the post-spill environmental impact assessment since early this year,香蕉视频直播� says Chief Councillor Slett. 香蕉视频直播淪ince this nightmare began, the polluter and provincial and federal governments have ignored our questions and environmental concerns, our collaboration attempts, and our rights as indigenous people. We have no choice but to turn to the courts.香蕉视频直播�

READ: New rules in effect to transport liquid petroleum in B.C.

The Nation is preparing to take legal action, aiming to recover damages suffered by its members as well as to examine the actual state of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播渨orld class香蕉视频直播� oil spill response system.

The case will seek compensation for loss of commercial harvesting of marine resources and infringement of Aboriginal rights relating to food, social and ceremonial importance of marine resources 香蕉视频直播� factors that the current oil spill liability framework does not account for.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I香蕉视频直播檓 not harvesting Gale Pass to feed my family, I am working there as a commercial fisherman, earning an income to support them - and I香蕉视频直播檓 one of many,香蕉视频直播� says harvester and volunteer oil spill responder, Robert Johnson. 香蕉视频直播淒espite our reliance on Gale Pass, the governments of British Columbia and Canada and Kirby the polluter have little interest in understanding the impacts of this oil spill on the health of my community, this environment, or our economy.香蕉视频直播�

The existing oil spill response framework excuses the polluter and government from full responsibility for oil spill impacts on Aboriginal rights otherwise protected by the Constitution.

As such, the province and the Kirby Corporation are not required by law to do comprehensive impact assessments of the oil spill. To date, they have rejected multiple Heiltsuk requests to participate in a study of the current and long-term impacts of the oil spill on the health of the ecosystem and marine resources and the social and economic consequences associated with the loss of harvest and use of the impacted area.

Instead, Kirby Corporation and the environment ministry are proposing a limited environmental assessment covering a minority of the area and species affected.

Heiltsuk Nation will be asking the courts to assess whether this existing regime of liability for oil spills can really be considered constitutional.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e learning the hard way that indigenous people and coastal communities can香蕉视频直播檛 count on polluters, Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, or the governments of B.C. and Canada in a crisis situation,香蕉视频直播� says Kelly Brown, Director of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department. 香蕉视频直播淔or our sake, and the sake of our neighbours, we are consulting with a range of experts to assess damages, recovery times, and, ultimately, determine how we can prevent a similar disaster in the future.香蕉视频直播�

Analyses of the oil spill response have revealed massive safety and planning oversights by the polluter and federal and provincial government regulations. They include: a lack of spill response materials; ineffective booms and delays in employing them; a lack of safety instructions and gear for Heiltsuk first responders exposed to diesel and dangerous marine conditions; and confusion over who was in charge in the early hours of the oil spill.

香蕉视频直播淕overnment representatives travel the province, country, and the world preaching reconciliation and nation-to-nation relationships with first people. Meanwhile, back home, they are avoiding our calls and emails, excluding us from meetings, and ignoring our rights,香蕉视频直播� says first responder and Hereditary Chief Harvey Humchitt. 香蕉视频直播淚f the courts have to explain that this is not what nation-to-nation relationships and reconciliation look like, so be it.香蕉视频直播�

The Heiltsuk Tribal Council expects the results of the various impact assessments, legal analyses, and evaluations to materialize in the coming weeks.

香蕉视频直播� with files from The Canadian Press