Tsleil-Waututh Nation sues to halt Burrard Inlet dredging for oil tankers
The Nation seeks to overturn federal permits for a project that would let fully loaded Aframax tankers pass through Second Narrows, raising concerns about marine life and Indigenous sacred sites.
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The səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) is suing in federal court this week to overturn approvals for dredging 25,000 cubic metres of material from Second Narrows in Burrard Inlet.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority won internal environmental review and federal Fisheries and Oceans approval for the project last month. Work is set to begin in September. Currently, Aframax tankers leaving Westridge Marine Terminal can only fill to 75 to 80 per cent capacity before their draft becomes unsafe for the channel. Full loading would enable Trans Mountain to increase output by up to 360,000 barrels per day.
The Nation argues the approval process was rushed and failed to address impacts on their rights, culture, and sacred connection to the inlet. They say federal departments ignored their concerns about risks to whales, herring, and critical kelp and eelgrass habitats they are trying to restore. Chief Justin George said Canada owed the Nation a duty to consult, which it breached.
The Nation plans a second court action to challenge the Department of Fisheries and Oceans approval as well.
