The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
19
3
Life
News
37
Sports
Walk On
Malice
Hockey
Red Hatters set to take over Alzheimer’s Walk.
Damage to trail jumps called malicious.
Minor hockey night as Chiefs host Warriors.
Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • F R I D AY, J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 4
Every day in Chilliwack, roughly 40 trains rumble through the heart of Chilliwack at speeds reaching 105 kph. GREG KNILL/ PROGRESS
Recent rail incidents heighten local concern Katie Bartel The Progress Recent rail derailments in Canada and the U.S. have sparked fear among some Chilliwack residents living near railroad tracks. One homeowner, who did not want her name used in this story, has lived on Darlene Avenue, just off Broadway, for 11 years, with her backyard a stone’s throw from the tracks; nothing but a row of hedges separates the two. Yet despite hearing – and feeling – the trains at all hours, they’ve never bothered her or her husband. Until now. “We weren’t worried about them before, but now we’ve started thinking, ‘what if?’” she said. “All we have are those trees …
if a train derails, rying anything we’re screwed. from grains, to All of us. If they’re vehicles, to hazgoing fast, nothardous materials. Our primary concern oncern remains the ssafety of our ing’s really going According residents and the City of Chilliwack to stop it, is it?” to the Railway On Jan. 11, a Association of takes that very seriously Canadian Pacific Canada, dangertrain derailed in ous goods make ~ Mayor Sharon Gaetz Burnaby with up 12 per cent three of the 152 of all rail traffic cars tipping moved in Canada. over and spilling However, l di t th d T d deadly disaster thatt W Wendy Tadros, their loads of coal. On Jan. 7, 150 chair of the Safety Transportation that’s likely to increase with recent people had to be evacuated from Board of Canada, said “may very ramped up efforts to ship more oil their homes in Plaster Rock, New well be the most devastating rail by rail while producers wait for new Brunswick after 19 cars, including accident in Canadian history.” pipelines to come on stream. five tankers carrying crude oil, to a New oil loading rail facilities in Forty-seven people died, and milrefinery in Saint John, derailed and lions of litres of oil spilled. Alberta will soon be moving 890,000 caught fire. Last July, a freight train In Chilliwack, approximately 40 barrels per day – roughly equivalent pulling tank cars filled with crude oil trains a day with about 150 cars or so to the twinned Kinder Morgan pipein Lac-Mégantic, Quebec caused a each, rumble through the city, car- line, when it’s built, or the stalled
“
”
Keystone pipeline. In 2012, Canadian crude oil was shipped at a rate of 24,000 bpd. That has since grown to 175,000 bpd. Pamela Cameron, who runs a dog grooming business out of her home on Hazel Street, isn’t so much concerned with the materials passing by her home, as she is by the speed at which the trains travel. “They come flying through here, really flying, way above the speed level they’re supposed to,” said Cameron who purchased the house, located directly across from a playground, eight years ago. “I don’t know if it’s the devil you know or the one you don’t know. I don’t want the pipelines to go through, but I also don’t want oil in my backyard either. Continued: RAIL/ p9
Retail 85¢ PLUS PST Box $1.00
604-792-8055 45140 Yale Road West, Chilliwack
www.contactsecurity.com
1-14F CS2
Home Security 24/7 Monitoring.