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[ThatDeafGuy]

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/04/cargo-ship-spills-oil-vancouvers-english-bay-photos/

[Novabonker]

And the Feds say the response was "world class". Now imagine if it was Alberta's filth. Dil-bit sinks. There was some posters here that supported tankers filled with that crap plying the waters up north. Maybe they could tell us how "safe" it is.

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120626/dilbit-primer-diluted-bitumen-conventional-oil-tar-sands-Alberta-Kalamazoo-Keystone-XL-Enbridge

[Fish Assassin]

Does the federal government think we're all idiots here on the West Coast ? "World class" response ? It took them 6 hours to get a boom around the tanker. Shudder to think what a less than a world class response will do to our environment.

[Novabonker]

Does the federal government think we're all idiots here on the West Coast ? "World class" response ? It took them 6 hours to get a boom around the tanker. Shudder to think what a less than a world class response will do to our environment.

And the Federal Governments response just outright is an insult to any intelligence - the political clap trap should be downright embarrassing, but the puppets can only do as they're told.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/james-moore-fires-back-at-political-jabs-over-vancouver-oil-spill-1.3028861

[swimmingwiththefishes]

here's a more accurate picture on the whole thing. Ridiculous that Kinder Morgan owns the cleanup company.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2663595391/

[Novabonker]

here's a more accurate picture on the whole thing. Ridiculous that Kinder Morgan owns the cleanup company.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2663595391/

[VAGAbond]

Elizabeth May said it like it is very well.  Where are the other opposition leaders?

I just heard the regional head of the Coast Guard excuse the six hours it took to get the boom in place 'because it was dark and they couldn't determine exactly what they were dealing with'.  Well golly, who ever would have thought oil spills could occur at night.  Is there a possibility they also didn't think of hurricane force winds and rip tides pushing tankers onto the rocks while conceiving the capabilities for the 'world class spill response' ?

[shuswapsteve]

Elizabeth May said it like it is very well.  Where are the other opposition leaders?

I just heard the regional head of the Coast Guard excuse the six hours it took to get the boom in place 'because it was dark and they couldn't determine exactly what they were dealing with'.  Well golly, who ever would have thought oil spills could occur at night.  Is there a possibility they also didn't think of hurricane force winds and rip tides pushing tankers onto the rocks while conceiving the capabilities for the 'world class spill response' ?

What experience do you have with responding to, organizing and implementing a plan to deal with these types of spills?  It's a fair question to ask you given your criticism here.  As for responding to hypothetical scenarios of oil spills during dangerous water conditions I guess one would have to weigh the risk of putting people in potentially life threatening situations to install a boom vs. the risk of having ship potentially being pushed up on rocks and leaking oil.  If you were in charge of the health and safety of many CCG employees, what would be your call?  What would be your justification for putting CCG individuals in harms way to install a boom that may or may not be successfully installed given the conditions you hypothetically suggest?

May said it very well?  I completely disagree.  May is yet another politician that is climbing on the bandwagon ready to bash the CCG yet she has no experience with what is going on.  I don’t necessarily disagree with her comments about budget cuts, but she is speculating at best how these particular cuts impacted the response and cleanup of this spill.  I would rather take the opinion of a member of the CCG than a politician.  At the end of the day she is a politician like the rest of them in Ottawa (not a scientist, not a biologist, not a member of the CCG) that is at opposite ends of Harper and wants to show it, so I take her opinions on the response and cleanup of this spill with a grain of salt.

Where are the other opposition leaders?  Perhaps they aren’t as ignorant as May to jump to conclusions before knowing all the facts.  That’s a good thing thank God.  I have more respect for a political leader (that is saying a lot) that isn’t so quick to react and act so sympathetic to the public concerns without taking the time to take in all the information first.  It is not a coincidence that Clark and Robertson have toned down their rhetoric now since their initial news conferences condemning the CCG response.  I believe those that were finger pointing have some fingers pointing back at them.  They were too quick to jump at initial reports in the media frenzy and rushed to judgement without hearing what the CCG had to say.  At the end of the day, these provincial and civic politicians are not really taking shots at Harper (who doesn’t give a crap about what people in BC say about him now because is too busy solidifying his party’s support in Ontario and Quebec), but at the men and women of the CCG who are doing their best.

Considering that most of the oil on the surface has already been contained I do not see where the massive condemnation is coming from.  If most of the oil still remained then I can see some of the criticism.  I believe some folks have such a hate for Kinder Morgan that they are so willing to lose objectivity and throw the CCG under the bus so readily.  Remember, these are the same people that go and risk their own lives to rescue boaters in distress.  They are not just some puppets, but folks that take pride in their jobs.  I am glad their leadership is standing up for them in the media – it’s about time.  These CCG employees likely didn’t care much for repeated budget cuts from their king back east, but it still does not diminish their dedication to their jobs or specifically their concern about this oil spill.

The province and the feds work on multi-jurisdictional matters so it is not in any government’s interests to create a bunch of animosity.  The focus should be working together to get this cleaned up – not premature comments 48 hours after the spill saying that an agency should be relieved of its duties based on initial media reports.  Clark should have just stayed at home that day and thought about how her ministries are doing as they scramble for every last cent.  I found it hilarious when she was acting like some saviour that was going to swoop in, relieve the CCG and save the day.  In my opinion, CCG Assistant Commissioner Roger Girouard knows that the communication breakdown was not limited to the CCG alone, but has decided to not rock the boat with other governments, stop the finger pointing and look at the bigger picture.  It was a wise move on his part because if both levels of government (including the municipalities) can’t work together than that is bad news for everyone ultimately.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-oil-spill-coast-guard-defends-cleanup-response-time-1.3029785
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-oil-spill-coast-guard-fires-back-at-criticism-of-response-1.3030722

[Novabonker]

What experience do you have with responding to, organizing and implementing a plan to deal with these types of spills?  It's a fair question to ask you given your criticism here.  As for responding to hypothetical scenarios of oil spills during dangerous water conditions I guess one would have to weigh the risk of putting people in potentially life threatening situations to install a boom vs. the risk of having ship potentially being pushed up on rocks and leaking oil.  If you were in charge of the health and safety of many CCG employees, what would be your call?  What would be your justification for putting CCG individuals in harms way to install a boom that may or may not be successfully installed given the conditions you hypothetically suggest?

May said it very well?  I completely disagree.  May is yet another politician that is climbing on the bandwagon ready to bash the CCG yet she has no experience with what is going on.  I don’t necessarily disagree with her comments about budget cuts, but she is speculating at best how these particular cuts impacted the response and cleanup of this spill.  I would rather take the opinion of a member of the CCG than a politician.  At the end of the day she is a politician like the rest of them in Ottawa (not a scientist, not a biologist, not a member of the CCG) that is at opposite ends of Harper and wants to show it, so I take her opinions on the response and cleanup of this spill with a grain of salt.

Where are the other opposition leaders?  Perhaps they aren’t as ignorant as May to jump to conclusions before knowing all the facts.  That’s a good thing thank God.  I have more respect for a political leader (that is saying a lot) that isn’t so quick to react and act so sympathetic to the public concerns without taking the time to take in all the information first.  It is not a coincidence that Clark and Robertson have toned down their rhetoric now since their initial news conferences condemning the CCG response.  I believe those that were finger pointing have some fingers pointing back at them.  They were too quick to jump at initial reports in the media frenzy and rushed to judgement without hearing what the CCG had to say.  At the end of the day, these provincial and civic politicians are not really taking shots at Harper (who doesn’t give a crap about what people in BC say about him now because is too busy solidifying his party’s support in Ontario and Quebec), but at the men and women of the CCG who are doing their best.

Considering that most of the oil on the surface has already been contained I do not see where the massive condemnation is coming from.  If most of the oil still remained then I can see some of the criticism.  I believe some folks have such a hate for Kinder Morgan that they are so willing to lose objectivity and throw the CCG under the bus so readily.  Remember, these are the same people that go and risk their own lives to rescue boaters in distress.  They are not just some puppets, but folks that take pride in their jobs.  I am glad their leadership is standing up for them in the media – it’s about time.  These CCG employees likely didn’t care much for repeated budget cuts from their king back east, but it still does not diminish their dedication to their jobs or specifically their concern about this oil spill.

The province and the feds work on multi-jurisdictional matters so it is not in any government’s interests to create a bunch of animosity.  The focus should be working together to get this cleaned up – not premature comments 48 hours after the spill saying that an agency should be relieved of its duties based on initial media reports.  Clark should have just stayed at home that day and thought about how her ministries are doing as they scramble for every last cent.  I found it hilarious when she was acting like some saviour that was going to swoop in, relieve the CCG and save the day.  In my opinion, CCG Assistant Commissioner Roger Girouard knows that the communication breakdown was not limited to the CCG alone, but has decided to not rock the boat with other governments, stop the finger pointing and look at the bigger picture.  It was a wise move on his part because if both levels of government (including the municipalities) can’t work together than that is bad news for everyone ultimately.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-oil-spill-coast-guard-defends-cleanup-response-time-1.3029785
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-oil-spill-coast-guard-fires-back-at-criticism-of-response-1.3030722

This was an optimal conditions scenario and the response was as pathetic as the excuses and trash trotted out for the "world class" response. Read the part in this piece about the oil boom at the Kits station- now no longer within arm's reach for the busy harbour. Short sighted politically motivated bean counters vs. common sense. Now replace the bunker with dil bit. I bear no animosity towards the Coast Guard, but I do take offense to being fed bull$hi&. 

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Estimate%20bunker%20fuel%20spilled%20English%20conservative%20officials/10968296/story.html

[chris gadsden]

This was an optimal conditions scenario and the response was as pathetic as the excuses and trash trotted out for the "world class" response. Read the part in this piece about the oil boom at the Kits station- now no longer within arm's reach for the busy harbour. Short sighted politically motivated bean counters vs. common sense. Now replace the bunker with dil bit. I bear no animosity towards the Coast Guard, but I do take offense to being fed bull$hi&. 

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Estimate%20bunker%20fuel%20spilled%20English%20conservative%20officials/10968296/story.html

And http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/spill+response+English+falls+short+world+class/10963080/story.html

[VAGAbond]

The response was probably as good as can be expected and as the cleanup contractor says 'textbook' perfect.   That is the problem, in bad conditions with a big spill, a textbook perfect response will not be anywhere good enough.

[chris gadsden]

The response was probably as good as can be expected and as the cleanup contractor says 'textbook' perfect.   That is the problem, in bad conditions with a big spill, a textbook perfect response will not be anywhere good enough.

SS will like this one as he loves to defend the government on most issues.

http://www.theprogress.com/news/299397591.html

[Novabonker]

Yet the claim is 80% recovered- that leaves how much left? And apparently the Coast Guard is now claiming it "might" be more, but they won't know for a couple of weeks yet.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-oil-spill-was-small-but-nasty-and-spread-quickly-1.3032385

[Novabonker]

More here!

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/estimate-of-fuel-spilled-in-vancouver-s-english-bay-was-conservative-officials-1.2324990

[shuswapsteve]

This was an optimal conditions scenario and the response was as pathetic as the excuses and trash trotted out for the "world class" response. Read the part in this piece about the oil boom at the Kits station- now no longer within arm's reach for the busy harbour. Short sighted politically motivated bean counters vs. common sense. Now replace the bunker with dil bit. I bear no animosity towards the Coast Guard, but I do take offense to being fed bull$hi&. 

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Estimate%20bunker%20fuel%20spilled%20English%20conservative%20officials/10968296/story.html

You are only looking at one side of the story - ignoring the timeline of events and not considering what crews were doing on the water.  After the CCG was first notified it was 4 minutes later they had notified their emergency management partners.  Half hour later, a vessel from Port Metro Vancouver investigated and determined the spill as minor, but it was the CCG’s assessment an hour later that decided to reject that preliminary analysis from the Port and consider the spill more serious.  The Western Canada Marine Response Corporation was arrived on scene at 9:25pm PT that Wednesday.  The CCG worked throughout the night skimming the water surface at night to collect oil.  That’s right…they worked all night, but it was never mentioned by Christy Clark, Gregor Robertson or Elizabeth May during their condemnation of the CCG response.  Instead, the lynch mob was out in full force and happily gobbled up initial media reports and took them as gosphel.  A boom was secured the next morning around the ship by 5:53am PT.  To date, the CCG reports that most of the surface oil has been recovered.

On the local news tonight, Environment Canada staff explained the process of surveying the spill and the progress so far.  In addition, it is not just an overnight task to determine how much oil was on the ship as Environment Canada staff have to determine how much fuel the ship was packing when if left port originally, how much it used and estimate how much was left in it while it was in English Bay.  In the meantime, they investigated and determined the cause of the leak in the ship, but for critics that are used to watching CSI on TV this should only take an hour because that's how long the TV program is.  Divers from Environment Canada are going to be looking under the ship to see if oil has sunk to the bottom but that is not a certainty as it is initially presumed that bunker oil will float on the surface; nevertheless, they are going to check it out.  If critics disagree then let’s see their methods and come up with a better way to determine how much oil is left.

The important thing being missed by critics is that the CCG was not initially certain where the oil was coming from, so the response would have been dependent on that.  Kind of an important thing to know I would think.  How were the CCG supposed to secure a boom early on (i.e. a few minutes or an hour after the initial call) if they were not certain where the oil was coming from?  It is easy for critics to now say, “yeah, put a boom there” because they know by looking at the TV which ship was spilling the oil, but at the time it likely wasn’t very obvious where the oil was coming from.  I think some folks should shadow these CCG employees on the water sometime and see what challenges they face before saying they are being fed bull$hi&.  In addition, the crew of Marathassa initially denied their ship was the source of the oil spilled so considering the timeline and the time of day the CCG was out in the water (which included finding the source of the oil) I think they did a good job.  Was it perfect?  No it wasn’t and the CCG openly admits that communications could have been better between them and the City of Vancouver; however, as I eluded to before, communication issues are likely not limited to the CCG on this issue.