107th Year - Week 11
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
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Money raised to date:
EVEREST CHALLENGE
$263,645
GOAL
$400,000
A record number of participants took part in the third annual Extreme Everest Challange over the weekend. The event, which raises money for the Live it!, Love it! Foundation, features skiers and snowboarders climbing up and racing down the Ptarmigan run as many times as they can within 24 hours.
ROYALS PLACE 6TH BVCS returns from provincials in Lumby.
SPORTS/B2
Nolan Kelly photo
Rail representatives talk emergency planning By Nolan Kelly
WOMEN’S DAY Celebration held at Anglican hall.
Smithers/Interior News
Representatives
THREE RIVERS/C6 from CN Rail
INSIDE LETTERS SPORTS COMMUNITY OUR TOWN THREE RIVERS CLASSIFIEDS
A5 B1 A12 A11 C1 C4
attended a Committee of the Whole meeting last Tuesday evening to discuss safety procedures and protocol in the event of a rail disaster in the Bulkey Valley. “The recent events in Lac-Megantic over the summer have heightened awareness about safety procedures and we are trying to be as transparent as possible,” CN Rail Senior Dangerous Goods Office Lee
Nelson said. During the hour long presentation, Nelson outlined safety protocol, CN Rail’s safety track record and went over details about the types of goods carried through Smithers. Councillors, citizens and fire chiefs from around the Bulkley Valley responded with questions and concerns. Regional District Bulkley-Nechako representative Stoney Stoltenberg got the debate rolling after the presentation was finished. “We have a lot of
volunteer firefighters who do the job out of a commitment to their community,” Stoltenberg said. “I would say to every chief here that the first thing you do is evacuate and sit there and wait for CN to come.” “Essentially,” Nelson responded. “I would say that is the mandate and based on the chemicals involved, that is the proper procedure. “We don’t have emergency response accountability. From a CN perspective, that is not our role at this time.” With CN Rail’s
Friday Only!
see page A-16
Western Family Chicken Wings Assorted Varieties, 908 g
emergency response team based out of Edmonton and Richmond the compnay estimates a 12-14 hour wait until they reach Smithers, though one former railroad engineer in the audience called that time frame “extremely optimistic.” As a result of the wait time, local emergency responders would be forced into a holding pattern, waiting to find out information about dangerous goods and about the correct procedure to follow. “Should we be satisfied with that
time-frame?” Mayor Bachrach asked Nelson. “The wait time is not ideal,” Nelson said. “But we are operating in accordance with government protocol.” Their compliance with regulations means that any changes to emergency response times will likely have to be mandated by new legislature. “We aren’t questioning whether or not CN is meeting the bar,” Bachrach said. “We are questioning whether the bar is set in
the right place, in order to protect our communities.” “I think council is very motivated to follow up on this meeting to ensure that response times are adequate.” On the positive side, only one per cent of all cars carry dangerous goods through Smithers. Though that number is low compared to the national average, it could be on the rise with increased industrial energy production in Alberta and Northeastern B.C. See TIMES on A6
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