Tourism site expresses oil industry fears

The impact of the Gulf of Mexico spill on tourism in areas such as Florida has led one tourism site to express concern about the potential impact of the oil industry in its own region.

British Columbia website queen-charlotte-islands-bc.com is run by Darshan Montgomery, a travel enthusiast who writes a number of guides to popular destinations.

He asks what impact a spill on the British Columbia coastline, similar to that in the Gulf of Mexico, might have on the ecology of the area.

"The BP oil spill has given the world pause and reflection on what the true price of our oil-dependent lifestyle can cause," he adds.

However, he also concedes that development of the oil industry in Haida Gwaii would create a plentiful supply of jobs for many years to come.

The oil reserves of Hecate Strait in particular lie untapped, he notes, leading both oil companies and government bodies to consider developing the fields.