Caledonia Courier, December 05, 2012

Page 1

Inside

u Seniors housing co-op P. 3 u In the big leagues P. 5

u Gabor Mate P. 8 u Fill the bus P. 6

Publications Mail Contract #: 40007759

PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com

WEDNESDAY, December 5, 2012

NEWS BRIEFS

ER update

VOL. 35 NO. 40 $1.34 inc. GST

Midget tourney

The Stuart Lake Hospital emergency room (ER) will be closed for large parts of December, after changes to the on-call schedule. The ER will be open on Dec. 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 12, and 14-17. The rest of the month of December the emergency room will be closed. So far, the emergency room is scheduled to be open for all of January.

CounterAttack 35 years old It is 35 years since the CounterAttack program started, and the campaign has been successful in helping to reduce drinking and driving on B.C. roads. But the campaign continues to address the ongoing issue of drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. On average, 25 people are killed each year in North Central B.C. in impaired driving crashes. While the numbers are being reduced over time, there is still room for improvement as over 100 people die throughout B.C. each year as a result of impaired driving. CounterAttack Road side Checks will be around once again during the holiday celebratory season.

Fraser Lake’s goalie manages to keep the puck out of the net during a scramble in front of the net at the Fort Forum during the Midget Hockey tournament Nov. 24 and 25. The Stars dominated the game and the final score was 7-1. See Page 2 for more.

Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier

Mill fire probe referred to prosecutors Tom Fletcher Black Press WorkSafeBC officials have completed their investigation into two fatal dust explosions and fires in northern B.C. sawmills earlier this year, and referred the cases to Crown prosecutors for possible charges. WorksafeBC vice-president Roberta Ellis said Crown lawyers will consider whether to proceed with charges under the Workers Compensation Act, which could be laid against individuals as well as the companies involved. Criminal charges were ruled out earlier in the investigation. If Workers Compensation Act charges proceed, the companies could face fines up to more than $500,000 and individuals could be sentenced to up to six months in jail. If prosecutors decide not to take charges to

court, the case would be referred back to WorkSafeBC for possible administrative penalties related to cleaning, ventilation and other conditions at the mills. Two mill workers died and 20 others were injured when an explosion and fire tore through the Babine Forest Products sawmill in Burns Lake on Jan. 20, 2012. On April 23, a similar explosion killed two workers and injured 22 more at Lakeland Mills in Prince George. Investigators ruled out natural gas, oil and other fuel sources, leaving fine, dry dust produced from milling wood. WorksafeBC concluded that the likely ignition source was hot electric motor and gear reducer equipment running wood waste conveyors in low, confined areas of the mills. The Babine mill is co-owned by Oregon-based Hampton Affiliates and the Burns Lake Native Development Corp. Hampton CEO Steve Zika said

he is disappointed that the company has not yet seen the final WorkSafeBC report. Greg Stewart, president of Lakeland Mills owner Sinclar Group Forest Products, also expressed concern that the referral to Crown counsel means the report is being withheld from the mill owners pending a decision on charges. “It is critical for Lakeland and the industry to do everything we can to ensure this never happens at another mill,” Stewart said. Lab tests conducted for WorkSafeBC showed that fine dust from any wood source can become explosive once its moisture content is below five per cent. Both mills were processing dry beetlekilled timber as well as green timber. The investigation included reviews of previous mill inspections that reported on dust accumulation, heating, ventilation and the condition of equipment.

Arson suspects in GUF fire first appearance Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier The first appearance in court on Nov. 20 of four young men accused of

arson resulted in a stay to consult legal counsel. Cole Godard and three others, who can not be named because they were all underage at the time of the alleged inci-

dent, appeared in Fort St. James Provincial Court but did not enter a plea yet. The four accused were arrested in connection with the suspected arson of the Integris Recycling Centre, a project

of the Greening Up Fort St. James Society. All four are scheduled to make a second appearance in the Fort St. James courtroom on Dec. 4.


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