TRANSPORT CANADA’S ROLE IN
OIL SPILL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
Transport Canada is the lead agency responsible for Canada’s Marine Oil Spill
Preparedness and Response Regime . Within the framework of the regime, Transport
Canada sets the guidelines and regulatory structure for preparedness and
response to oil spills. The regime was established in 1995 and is built upon a
partnership between government and industry. It sets rigorous standards for
response organizations and oil handling facilities, and establishes the
requirements for national preparedness capacity.
Through the National Preparedness Plan, Transport Canada ensures that the
appropriate level of preparedness is available to respond to oil spills. The
regime is based on the principle of cascading resources, which means that, in
the event of a spill, the resources from government (Canadian Coast Guard) and
industry response organizations, and oil handling facilities may be deployed,
depending on actual circumstances. Canada can also call on resources through
international joint response agreements it has with the United States, Denmark
and France (countries that share marine boundaries with Canada), and through the
Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response and Cooperation (OPRC) Convention.
South Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador Risk Assessment Study
As part of its responsibility, Transport Canada has initiated a Risk
Assessment Study for the South Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. There has
been a marked increase in tanker traffic along the south coast of Newfoundland
and Labrador in recent years, mainly due to the growth of offshore oil
production, processing and trans-shipment in Placentia Bay, and to the
importation and trans-shipment of oil in Eastern Canada. The study will gather
the required information to allow Transport Canada to assess the adequacy of the
Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime on the south coast of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Some of the aspects that are being examined in this study include: increases in
marine traffic, the size and number of tankers transiting the area, the
convergence and divergence of shipping routes, the assessment of spill
probabilities, and the potential impacts of spills on the environment and
socio-economic impacts on residents and business.
This study will provide Transport Canada with extremely valuable information to
assess the level of preparedness provided by Canada’s Marine Oil Spill
Preparedness and Response Regime, given the level of environmental risk
identified in the study, and enable the department to make any necessary
adjustments to the regime as required.
This project was developed in cooperation with many organizations, including:
the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the
Canadian Coast Guard and the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
September 2006
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