The Risks of Needing and Wanting 'Stuff'

People are afraid of the unknown but today’s risks are no more severe than those in the past.

Highlights

• Globally, 80% of trade is in "stuff" — the things we use every day. A sizable portion of our disposal income is used to finance the consumption of goods, including food and manufactured products from elsewhere in the world.

• Delivery of these goods is via thousands of kilometers of roadways, railways, pipelines (gathering, distribution, transmission), electrical transmission and distribution lines, communications infrastructure (cell towers, fibre optic cable, satellites), along with ferries and ships servicing our 25,725 kilometres of coastline.

• People are afraid of the unknown but today’s risks are no more severe than those in the past.

• Standing ready for low-probability but high-consequence events is part of the modern regulatory state. BC and Canada already have world class systems for managing the risks of transportation supply chains — indeed, our regulatory systems are viewed, globally, as among the best.

• The evidence shows there are fewer accidents across the full spectrum of supply chain delivery modes.

• Seven industry associations are working together to strengthen land-based spills preparedness, collaboration and communication by leveraging existing and emerging federal and provincial regulatory frameworks, as well as industry systems and practices.