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Texas Company to Pay B.C. First Nation $12M over 2016 Tugboat Spill
Kirby Corporation will pay $12.2 million and join healing and washing ceremonies under the agreement, while claims against Canada remain unresolved.
On Wednesday, June 3, the Heiltsuk Nation announced a $12.2 million settlement with Houston-based Kirby Corp following the 2016 grounding of the tug Nathan E. Stewart near Bella Bella, B.C.
In October 2016, the tug ran aground in the Seaforth Channel, releasing about 110,000 litres of diesel and 2,000 litres of lubricants into waters critical to the Heiltsuk Nation's harvesting and cultural practices.
Kirby agreed to attend washing and healing ceremonies in Bella Bella and will not traverse Heiltsuk territory without consent. The nation called the agreement an "important first step" toward accountability.
Heiltsuk Joint Leadership stated the settlement does not "close this chapter," as the nation continues pursuing outstanding claims against the Canadian government and the federal Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund.
The nation remains committed to seeking accountability and protecting the lands, waters, and way of life central to the community, efforts recently bolstered by its role as an Indigenous partner in a 6,700-square-kilometre national marine conservation reserve.