Metro Vancouver mayors grilled the National Energy Board Friday on how it would prevent future oil spills, saying the Canadian Coast Guard’s “inadequate response” to the recent spill in English Bay put the city’s economy, tourism and quality of life at risk.

Mayors maintain the latest spill highlighted the need for a better emergency response system across the region, noting it took the coast guard hours to respond after a sailor first reported seeing a sheen of oil in English Bay. North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton said the “the level of response was far from what our local governments would anticipate.”

“I don’t fault you for that, but my perception is you are vastly underfunded … ,” Walton told National Energy Board chair Peter Watson and Canadian Coast Guard assistant commissioner Roger Girouard, following a presentation to the Metro mayors’ committee.

The comments drew applause from the crowd of protesters in the gallery.

“This incident clearly put a spotlight on what is an obvious problem,” Belcarra Mayor Ralph Drew said. “You don’t say ‘we’d like you on standby.’ They need to say ‘get out there now.’”

Watson and Girouard were in town on a cross-Canada tour to speak to the public about pipeline safety. Although Girouard insisted the coast guard had acted within the regulated time frame as soon as it realized the seriousness of the spill, both he and Watson said they want to be part of a post-mortem discussion with the city of Vancouver and other agencies to look at scenarios to determine how they can do better next time.

“This is a pretty complex little neighbourhood to work with,” Girouard said. “One of the most important lessons is pre-planned responses are necessary along that waterfront … part of it is public education, better understanding of risk and communities taking on a role of their own. I can assure the coast guard wants to be part of that conversation.”

Watson insisted safety is a priority of the NEB and said while there had been problems in the past, he wanted to ensure “deeper engagement” with the public.

But Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said he had little faith in the NEB, and that the process for Kinder Morgan’s proposed $5.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was flawed.

“I question how you can have confidence in the process when the NEB is completely ignoring the economy and quality of life here in Vancouver and completely ignoring that process,” Robertson said, noting this is no longer 1952 when the pipeline was first built.

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan agreed, saying his city had a checkered past with Kinder Morgan, noting the 2007 oil spill after a ruptured pipeline, and called the review process a “sham.”

“They don’t want to answer these questions in public and don’t want to see people grilled,” he said. “They don’t want Kinder Morgan under the (spotlight).”

ksinoski@vancouversun.com

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