VANCOUVER – British Columbia Premier David Eby and coastal First Nations have signed a declaration calling on the federal government to maintain an oil tanker ban off the province’s north coast.
Eby says one oil spill in the area would destroy billions of dollars in economic activity along the coast, with no technology available to clean it up.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been calling for the tanker ban to be repealed as part of her government’s proposal to build an oil pipeline to the B.C. coast.
Chief Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations, says the tanker ban is a result of 50 years of advocacy by coastal communities and is “foundational” for keeping the coast healthy and the economy strong.
Jason Alsop, president of the Haida Nation, says there’s “absolutely no support for pipelines” to the coast or oil tankers around Haida Gwaii.
The declaration says repealing the tanker ban would risk major projects and “cheat” B.C.’s economy out of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investments while risking irreversible ecological damage.
“We urge the federal government to stand firm in its commitment to uphold the tanker ban. Protecting the North Coast is not an item for negotiation — it is a national responsibility, and it is a quantifiable investment in Canada’s treasured marine environment and the economic prosperity of future generations,” the declaration says.
It’s signed by Eby, Slett, Alsop, Lax Kw’alaams Mayor Garry Reece, Paula Amos of Indigenous Tourism B.C. and hereditary elder Clarence Innis.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2025.