Transport Canada Minister Marc Garneau visits diesel spill near Bella Bella, B.C.

FederalMinister of TransportationMarc Garneauvisitedthe northern coastal B.C. town of Bella BellaSunday, which has been battling a diesel spill from a tug that sank last month.

The local HeiltsukFirst Nation said Garneautoured the site of thespill and met with its hereditary and elected chiefs.

"We were obviously glad that he did take the time to come out and visit our community," saidHeiltsuk chief councillorMarilyn Slett, adding that the visit was brief.

Coastal storms and strong winds have marred the cleanup from the sunken tug, the American-owned Nathan E. Stewart,

Itran aground while pushingan empty fuel barge through theSeaforth Channelshortly after midnight on Oct. 13; an estimated 110,000 litres of diesel and other petroleum products have spilled from its tanks.

'We cannot be a cautionary tale'

The Heiltsuk have repeatedly criticized the response to the spill and arepushing for better emergency response resources, safety and environmental stewardship.

"I think what people are seeing is that we're not ready. And I'm not saying we asHeiltsuk, but British Columbia ingeneral," Slett said in an interview.

"We're not ready for emergency response. And we cannot be a cautionary tale. There has to be learning from this going forward."

TheHeiltsukhave called the spillan environmental disasterfor their coastal community.

"We're mariners.We've been here for thousands and thousands of years this is our life," Slett said.

Trudeau announcement Monday

Prime Minister Justin Trudeauis scheduled to make an announcement about marine safetyin Vancouver tomorrow.

Last November hecalledfor a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic for B.C.'s North Coast.

Slett saidGarneau assured the Heiltsuk that a tanker ban would be put in place by the end of the year.

"We would like to reiterate our offer to Prime Minister Trudeau to make the tanker moratorium announcement here in Bella Bella," she said in a written release.

"In the spirit of reconciliation and his government's promise to make relationships with indigenous nations a key focus, we can think of no better place, and no better time to make the announcement than in Heiltsuk territory this year."

The Heiltsuk said they would like to see the moratorium taken further to include a ban on tug barges like the Nathan E. Stewart, which they say can carry millions of litres of fuel when they're coupled with a barge.

Garneau is the third federal minister to visit the spill.