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Volume 58 No. 13
Sentinel
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Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
MK Bay Marina loses safety appeal
Cameron Orr The MK Bay Marina has lost an appeal to WorkSafeBC (WSBC) over penalties relating to available safety equipment such as ladders. However it wasn’t all bad, as the marina had a re-calculation on their fee. The prior fee of $39,708.23 was based on the payroll of the entire Regional District of Kitimat Stikine - the body who operates the facility - but now it will only be based on the payroll of the marina itself. That new figure wasn’t immediately known. There were a number of arguments by the marina on the reported violations, from the authority of WSBC to respond to matters at the marina to the definition of the word “dock”. However WSBC review officer Bruce Scott shot down all those arguments. This entire process relates back to a January 2012 incident in which an employee at the marina fell into the water while clearing snow with a snowblower, the WSBC review decision states. “According to the worker, he backed into the bullrail and fell,” it continues. “He was able to place his leg over a buoy attached to the bullrail and hoist himself back onto the dock.” One point of argument by the regional district - the named employer in the report - was that sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations don’t apply to the marina because section 24.2 specifically applies to “docks”, regarding placement of ladders, and not other structures. The definitions are not quite clear in the regulations and it appears that the word “dock” is not used interchangeably with other structures. But WSBC found that with no specific definition in the regulations, common usage must apply. The reviewing officer eventually concludes that the term “dock” can include all floating structures. The marina’s own website also describes the facility as having “modern concrete docks.” Other suggestions, such as WSBC having no jurisdiction due to the fact that the marina’s operations would make it fall under federal authority, didn’t fly for the review. As well, the actual placement of ladders was argued to create risks for mooring ships, but the officer found that there can be design considerations that would alleviate that concern. “My conclusion...is that there has been more focus on whether the Board [WSBC] has jurisdiction to deal with the issue of ladders at a marina than there has been about potentials solutions,” Scott writes. Due to schedules the Sentinel couldn’t immediately reach the regional district’s administrator or the marina’s manager. The District of Kitimat’s representative to the regional district, Corinne Scott, was available and weighed in on the decisions. Continued on page 6
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
1.34 INCLUDES TAX
$
Students at St. Anthony’s engineered their own milk jug igloo, which is being used as a quiet place where kids can read. The structure is made out of, give or take, 400 four litre jugs. Hanging out inside it in the photo above is: Emalie Krabes, Jack Moran, Kelson Demelo and Saxon Peate.
Port announcement baffles An announcement released March 18 from Transport Canada notes steps being taken towards improved tanker safety off B.C.’s coast. But the one item that has everyone talking is a line-item that reads; “Public port designations: More ports will be designated for traffic control measures, starting with Kitimat.” The idea of turning Kitimat from a private port — as it advertises itself — to a public one has raised eyebrows among the District of Kitimat. Little is known about the process of turning the port public, and Kitimat Mayor Joanne Monaghan said that she
only has questions so far, no answers. “We don’t know the ramifications of taxation, we don’t know any of those things,” said Monaghan. She said that if it does work out to improved safety on the water it could be a plus for the community, but she is concerned with the lack of consultation with the District on this proposed change. A backgrounder to Transport Canada’s release states, “The Government of Canada will designate Kitimat as a public port under the Canada Marine Act. This designation will allow the port to put in place better traffic control measures to facilitate the safe movement of vessels.
A national risk assessment will help to identify other ports for this designation as well.” “As a trading nation, Canada depends on marine shipping for economic growth, jobs and long-term prosperity,” said Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver in the release last week. “There will be no pipeline development without rigorous environmental protection measures and the tanker safety initiatives we are announcing today are an important aspect of our plan for Responsible Resource Development.” Oliver was in Terrace last week. Continued on page 3
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Step back in time 60 years ... page 7