Alert (Nov 27/06) - Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington wants to know why the Department of National Defence didn't tell Northerners of a fuel spill in Alert this fall.

Between 18,000 and 21,000 litres of jet fuel spilled at Canadian Forces Station Alert in September, but the incident didn't become public until Bevington's office obtained an incident report through an access to information request.

"Why did the government fail to inform northern Canadians?" Bevington asked Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor during question period in Ottawa Wednesday. "What actions has the minister taken to ensure this never happens again?"

O'Connor didn't answer that question but said the military cleaned up the spill quickly.

"All the necessary actions have been taken," he said.

The spill happened during Operation Boxtop, the military's annual resupply mission to the world's most northerly inhabited place.

A joint broke while a fuel line was being tested causing the fuel to spill. The incident report stated that no fuel reached the water, and contaminated soil and snow were moved to a containment area.

There are numerous military facilities across the Arctic, and Bevington said in the House of Commons the ecological impact is beginning to mount.

"Current and former northern military installations have wreaked havoc on the environment," he said.

O'Connor replied that the government spends close to $60 million per year to clean up contaminated sites.

A defence department spokeswoman who declined to be named said the military has changed the way it handles fuel in Alert.

"The system is going to be put under a review by an engineering firm to recommend modifications," she said.