An oil spill near Squamish, British Columbia, threatened a sensitive bird habitat and covered several Vancouver sailboarders in slime this weekend.

About 8,000 gallons of heavy bunker oil leaked Friday and quickly soaked into a nearby marsh. The estimated size of the spill fell during the weekend but locals were questioning the response, especially since a similar spill occured nearby exactly one year ago.

A similar, larger bunker oil spill along the Washington coast in 1991 killed thousands of birds and spurred debate about oil shipping in the area. This month marked completion of Washington’s response to that accident: a habitat-restoration plan and stationing of an emergency-response tug nearby.

What will be B.C.’s long-term response to the repeated spills?