Environmental impact of sunken tug to be shared after investigation completed

BELLA BELLA, B.C. — The federal government says it can’t comment on the environmental impact of a diesel spill off British Columbia’s central coast even as the removal of the sunken tug responsible for the fuel release faces delays.

The Nathan E. Stewart tugboat ran aground and sank into the Seaforth Channel about 28 kilometres from Bella Bella last month.

Earlier this week, the local Heiltsuk Nation said federal ministries were withholding important analytic data from early environmental samples taken at the site — data it said could inform decisions about the community’s health and environment.

The federal environment ministry said Saturday in an email that evidence will not be shared with spill response partners while the investigation is ongoing to protect the integrity of the work.