Crews on spill response boats work to contain bunker fuel leaking from the bulk carrier cargo ship Marathassa, second right, on Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday April 9, 2015.Darryl Dyck
The Coast Guard's review of a fuel spill on Vancouver's English Bay will be completed by the end of July, the federal Fisheries Minister says.
Gail Shea, at a news conference on marine protection Friday, said the review will be "robust" and released to the public. The review itself has not formally begun, more than six weeks after the spill.
"We all share the view the primary objective is to collectively be more prepared for the future," Ms. Shea said.
The spill was reported around 5 p.m. on April 8 by a person on a sailboat. The Canadian Coast Guard has said it did not recognize the seriousness of the spill until 8 p.m. It has said a boom was secured around the leaking vessel, the MV Marathassa, by 5:53 a.m.
The Coast Guard's response has been criticized by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, B.C. Premier Christy Clark and some area residents. Mr. Robertson has said it took too long for the boom to be put in place, and has also taken issue with the fact the city wasn't notified about the spill for more than 12 hours after the original report.
The Coast Guard has vigorously defended its efforts.
Ms. Shea said she understands the "anguish" the spill caused for local residents.
"I understand and share the frustration of having a foreign ship enter our harbours and leak oil into our waters," she added.
Coast Guard Commissioner Jody Thomas, who attended the news conference, said the review will be led by John Butler, who previously served as an assistant commissioner for the agency.
When asked about Mr. Butler's independence, Commissioner Thomas said: "He doesn't work for the Coast Guard any longer, he is an expert in the field and we're very comfortable with the advice he'll give us."
Commissioner Thomas said the Coast Guard earlier this week discussed the terms of reference for the review with its partners.
The Coast Guard has said approximately 2,700 litres of fuel had been spilled, and that 80 per cent of the spill was contained within 36 hours.
Commissioner Thomas earlier indicated the spill could be larger than first reported. Friday, she said work was still under way to determine the spill's exact size.
At Friday's event, Ms. Shea also announced $18-million in upgrades for marine research facilities in West Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Sidney. She said the money would be used for purposes such as improving fire safety and accessibility, upgrading heating and cooling systems, and improving roadways and parking lots.
The minister reiterated that $2-million will be provided to the Pacific Salmon Foundation for its research on juvenile salmon, known as the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. That funding was first announced last month.
Aaron Hill, executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society, said the funding announcement was underwhelming.
"Most of the money seemed earmarked for basic necessary upkeep to existing facilities," he said in an interview.
Mr. Hill noted that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been hit by drastic funding cuts in recent years, and said the government still has not acted on many of the recommendations from the Cohen Commission – a public inquiry on the decline of the Fraser River sockeye-salmon run.