Environmental Impact Assessments are standard protocol after an oil spill like the one that occurred in Heiltsuk waters after the Nathan E. Stewart tug ran aground on October 13, 2016. But who leads them, and how they are done is not so simple. 

Heiltsuk Nation is taking Kirby Corporation (the U.S.-shipping company responsible for the spill) and the federal and provincial governments to court. To really assess the full scale of the impacts the Nation is working with The Firelight Group to complete an Indigenous-led, community-rooted Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

While the release of the EIA is still pending, RAVEN put together this short video to help folks understand a little more about the process.

Now, 6-years after the Nathan E. Stewart spill, Heiltsuk Nation is on the rise. Their community restoration and revitalization efforts are protecting the central coast waters and lands for future generations. Donate now to support the Heiltsuk Nation’s legal challenge.

Heiltsuk Nation is reclaiming stewardship of lands and waters in their territory. But: unless companies like Kirby Corporation are held accountable for the environmental distress they cause, communities like Heiltsuk will continue to pay the price. That’s why RAVEN is stepping up for Coast Heroes. 

A Heiltsuk win in court could toughen oil spill regulations along the whole Pacific coast, and strengthen Heiltsuk jurisdiction so they can manage their territory according to Heiltsuk laws.

This precedent setting case has the power to: 

• Recognize Aboriginal title to the foreshore and seabed
• Enshrine Aboriginal governance rights that protects the ecosystem and its resources into law
• Require BC and Canada to consult with Indigenous Peoples on environmental impact assessment and remediation following an oil spill
• Demand reparations for oil spills, factoring in cultural damages.

Donate now to support the Heiltsuk Nation’s legal challenge.