Environmental Emergency Management Program

Program Overview

  • Responsibilities
    The Ministry of Environment's environmental emergency mandate is to plan for, coordinate, implement and manage a program to protect the welfare of the public in the event of an environmental emergency or disaster. The Environmental Emergency Management Program helps to meet this mandate by developing and implementing tools to prevent, prepare for and respond to spills of harmful substances.

  • About Environmental Emergencies
    An environmental emergency occurs when there is a threat to the environmental quality of water, land and/or air. Possible threats include oil and hazardous materials spills, gas leaks, and water-related debris flows.

  • Guiding Principles
    Fundamental principles that guide the Ministry during an environmental emergency.

  • Emergency Response Delivery
    Industry, provincial, federal and local governments share the responsibility to prepare for and respond to an environmental emergency. Responding agencies and industry also generally share a common goal – to protect people, property and the environment.

  • Environmental Emergency Reporting
    Environmental emergency reporting is an integral part of BC Ministry of Environments' Environmental Emergency Management Program. This section lists contact numbers and detailed information about reporting emergencies.

  • Legislative Framework
    Legislation is an important aspect of environmental emergency prevention, preparedness and response. The following provides a synopsis of key program specific legislation, and other provincial and federal legislation that pertains to spills, industrial accidents and other environmental emergencies.