Nunavut government defends communications in recent petroleum spills

Nunavut's deputy environment minister maintains government officials did communicate appropriately to municipalities and the public during two recent petroleum spills.

A public statement on the 7,000 litres of diesel spilled outside Rankin Inlet's power plant on July 17, wasn't issued by the Qulliq Energy Corporation until seven days later.

Five days after that spill, a human-caused error caused 4,800 litres of gasoline to overflow from a tank in Sanikiluaq, causing the hamlet to call an evacuation. 

If she was in the shoes of those Sanikiluaq residents, Yvonne Niego said her first instinct would also have been to protect her family and flee as a precaution. 

"However, if I were privy to the information from the government of Nunavut, I believe I would've been a lot more assured the community was safe," the deputy minister said. 

Even though a public statement about the incident wasn't released until after residents were told they could return home six hours later, she said government officials communicated with the hamlet throughout the day.

She said staff from her department assessed the spill shortly after it was first reported. They considered it of low risk to the public, as the valve was closed and absorbent pads were installed around the spill.

Those staff went home for lunch, she said. Upon returning, the hamlet had evacuated the community, without calling a state of emergency. 

"The protocols are in place for declaring emergencies. In Sanikiluaq, that protocol was not followed. Therefore it gave time for rumours and a bit of panic to happen," she said. 

Niego also said the department of Environment supports the creation of land farms. These are spaces residential areas to move contaminated soil, to allow it to air out, evaporate, and be treated.

The Hamlets and Emergency Measures Act states the municipality can make such a declaration to get resources from the territorial government, but Niego acknowledges the hamlet can take it upon themselves to deal with an emergency. 

With the Rankin Inlet spill, she said there's no immediate danger because it's contained within the perimeters of the power plant, and away from residential areas. 

Remediation work on that spill is still ongoing. 

Stafford Reid is the principal of EnviroEmerg Consulting in B.C. He explains that gasoline spills, while highly volatile, require little remediation, if any, as they evaporate easily.