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Volume 57 No. 51
Many heroes out that night When three iron workers came across a major car accident on the highway on December 5, it was instinct which guided them to save Bobby Weir’s life. John Tyler, his son Jake, and friend Dale Hession, are all members of the Ironworkers Union; John and Jake from Local 736 in Hamilton, ON, Dale from Local 97 in Vancouver. They are in Kitimat working on the Kitimat Modernization Project, with the company Comstock. The three were stopped on the highway behind a transport truck which blocked their view of the accident but the three left their vehicle to follow a man walking through the traffic, who was looking for a fire extinguisher. That’s when John heard the cries of Bobby in his Mercury Cougar, shouting “It burns, it burns.” “We ran and went into action,” said John. Dale and Jake went to the driver’s side while John took to the passenger side. But they were assisted by the equally heroic actions of Kevin Garrett Dawson, Bobby’s passenger in the car and who was himself injured. “Kevin’s quite a hero himself,” said John. “He was trying everything he could to get his friend out of the vehicle. [He] never left his friend.” Garret would wind up being taken to Mills Memorial in Terrace after the events of the accident, but that was after calling to the three iron workers and asking how he could help them. The three ended up finding Bobby pinned on the floor of the car, and held into place by his seatbelt. Dale saw the seatbelt after John unsuccessfully tried pulling Bobby out, and pulled his knife to free him. Jake and Kevin were throwing snow on Dale and John while this was happening, in an effort to prevent them from getting their own burns as they pulled Bobby from a flaming car. “Dale cut the seatbelt and when he cut the seatbelt something said to me ‘this car is going to blow,’” said John. They got Bobby to a nearby ditch by the time the car actually did explode. John won’t soon forget the actions of Kevin who put his friend well ahead of his own needs. “Once we got Bobby safe and [Kevin] calmed down then he realized the extent of damage he had to himself. He definitely needs to be recognized in this too.” While being recognized for their actions at their work site, John, Jake and Dale told Rio Tinto Alcan that they wanted to collect money for Bobby, which the company gladly allowed. The three raised $4,200 and delivered it to the fundraising barbecue at SuperValu where Bobby works as a produce supervisor. Continued on page 2
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
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Christmas Hamper volunteers count their inventory ahead of delivery day which was last Saturday, December 15. The basement hall of the Christ the King Catholic Church was full of people starting from the Friday. Cameron Orr photo
Haisla, CFN have falling out Haisla Chief Councillor Ellis Ross said the words from the Coastal First Nations executive director printed in national media won’t be easily forgiven. Ross spoke with the Sentinel following a widely publicized split between his community and that of Coastal First Nations, a coalition that seeks environmental protection for traditional territories. In an article printed in the Globe and Mail, Coastal First Nations (CFN) executive director Art Sterritt quoted saying that the Haisla had decided to approach industry in their territory in “the dirtiest way possible” and that their interests were purely economical. However that’s not the case, said Ross, who said the Haisla’s interests are always to promote a company to use the cleanest methods possible. “This is how we approach every project,” he said. He said the impression that the Haisla are just after money “is entirely false.” Ross said the comments by Sterritt were hurtful to the Haisla people. “Those statements, they’re going to
be really tough to forgive and forget.” One of the key issues regarding the two sides parting ways came from comments regarding the Northern Gateway Pipelines proposal. Ross picked up on comments published earlier in the year by the Globe and Mail, which quoted Sterritt as saying that if there was a fresh start and were able to build a good relationship, the CFN might take another look at the project. But for Ross it’s not about relationships. “That is entirely false when it comes to Haisla interests,” said Ross. “Looking at a project like that is not based on relationships.” However Sterritt has responded that the quotes in the national paper were not presented in the proper context. “We said, ‘well, we’d be game for that [starting over] but only on one condition; you stop the Joint Review Process.’,” said Sterritt. “We’re not going to talk to you while you’re holding a hammer over our heads.” He continued, “But we also guaran-
teed them that it wasn’t going to change the outcome. What it would do, it would enable them to understand more fully what the impacts were. They could mitigate their own damages by not spending any more money on a project that would never ever be allowed by Coastal First Nations.” That discussion came from a CFN board meeting which Ross did not attend, he said. Meanwhile as the two sides struggle with each others’ viewpoint, Ross said he still plans to move forward and work with other First Nations directly, outside of the framework of the CFN. “I really think the time is now for First Nations to get involved in the regulatory framework,” he said, meaning having conversations about such things as spill response and tanker monitoring programs and software. “Then we become part of the solution for what’s in our territories right now and what’s proposed. And I’m not talking about Enbridge.” Continued on page 2
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Council signs Climate Charter ... page 3