Environmental recovery from ship-source marine oil spills

What recovery means

Managing a marine oil spill involves 4 phases:

• Prevention
• Preparedness
• Response
• Recovery

Effective emergency management happens before, during and after a spill. It protects people’s health, safety and well-being and reduces damage to property and the environment.

After an oil spill, some pollutants can last after the initial response and clean-up. The effects from these pollutants may negatively impact nearby communities or the environment. 

Recovery focuses on helping affected areas return to a normal functioning state, based on pre-spill conditions.

What the Government of Canada is doing

Through the Oceans Protection Plan, Canada is strengthening how it manages marine oil spills from ships. Recovery is an important part of this work.  Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is leading the development of a national framework that will guide recovery efforts for marine oil spills from ships.

How the Recovery Framework will fit with Canada’s current system

The Recovery Framework will work within Canada’s existing oil spill response system. It will promote coordination and collaboration between various recovery partners, including:

• federal government departments and agencies
• provinces and territories
• Indigenous governments, communities and organizations
• municipal governments and coastal communities
• marine industry
• shipowners
• response organizations
• other communities and organizations

The Recovery Framework will align with existing laws, policies, and agreements, and will respect the roles of all partners.

It will apply from coast-to-coast-to-coast, in Canada’s oceans, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The focus will be environmental recovery, which also supports human health and socio-economic recovery from the impacts of the spill. The Recovery Framework will be implemented in close coordination with other Oceans Protection Plan initiatives.

Framework objectives

When complete, the Recovery Framework will:

• clarify the roles and responsibilities of all partners involved in recovery activities
• use science-based procedures, strategies and best-practices, braided with Indigenous Science and Local and Traditional Knowledge
• serve to support officials in the development and negotiation of local community response plans and respect regional agreements
• provide the foundation for development of operational tools, guidance and training

Related federal initiatives

Other federal work related to recovery includes:

• Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act: Addresses releases from wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels
• Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP): Manages water quality, shellfish safety and public notifications of shellfish harvest closures
  • The program is led by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with support from Health Canada
• Pre-Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique surveys: Collect information on pre-incident environmental conditions
  • This work is led by Environment and Climate Change Canada and is related to the Canadian Coast Guard-led Integrated Marine Response Planning Program
• Marine Liability Act: Sets out the polluter-pays principle for compensation. Recovery costs are covered by the polluter or through mechanisms such as the Ship Fund (formerly the Ship-Source Oil Pollution Fund)
• Hazardous and Noxious Substances Initiative: Explore future work to expand the Recovery Framework to include other pollutants and sources

Engagement

The Government of Canada is engaging partners across the country to help develop the Recovery Framework.

We have already engaged with people at regional events like the Oceans Protection Plan Dialogue Forums and national forums like the Canadian Marine Advisory Council national meeting. We have also worked with Indigenous peoples through regional and sub-regional forums, committees and other venues. 

Recovery discussion paper

The Government of Canada has developed a discussion paper to seek your feedback on the key elements of a proposed Recovery Framework.

The paper includes:

• an overview of the Recovery Framework’s scope and principles
• a proposed definition of recovery
• proposed functions and activities
• key areas for collaboration with partners

The paper supports early engagement and will help guide future discussions.  

After reviewing all feedback, the government will continue working with partners to explore more details about the Recovery Framework, including key functions and activities, decision-making in recovery, and the proposed recovery process.

Who we want to hear from 

All Canadians are invited to review and comment on this proposal.

The following groups may be especially interested:

• Indigenous governments, communities and organizations
• Provinces and territories
• Marine industry and shipowners
• Municipal governments and coastal communities
• Response organizations
• Other interested members of the public

To learn how we will protect your privacy during engagement, please carefully review our privacy statement. 

Contact us

By mail:
Environmental Emergencies Division
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Place Vincent Massey, 9th Floor
351 St. Joseph Blvd
Gatineau QC  K1A 0H3  

By email: urgencesenvironnementales-environmentalemergencies@ec.gc.ca

We invite you to read the online discussion paper and share your feedback by December 23, 2026.