The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
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Sardis students add passion to their poetry.
Volunteers are back cleaning up local rivers.
Falcon star going to the land of dinosaurs.
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Fire ants confirmed in Chilliwack
Q H ONOURING V IMY R IDGE
Researcher won’t say where, but they’re here
Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
A B.C. biologist who specializes in ants says Chilliwack is one of several Lower Mainland locations where European fire ants have been confirmed. Robert Higgins, an entomologist from Thompson Rivers University, says he can pinpoint their arrival in B.C. to about four years ago after he examined a specimen he’d been sent by Agriculture Canada. “I had been suspecting this ant would show up,” Higgins said. Anecdotal reports on social media of fire ants, which have not been confirmed by Higgins, cite Chilliwack streets such as Maple, Hazel, Brooks, Kent, Princess and Charles. But City of Chilliwack reps say they have had no official reports from citizens about the presence of European fire ants in Chilliwack. Higgins would not disclose or confirm any of the specific locations that he is aware of in Chilliwack due to privacy issues, but is still willing to help owners who think they have fire ants. The defining characteristic of the European fire ant is that when their nests are disturbed, they will swarm, sometimes in the thousands. They actually weren’t known to cause Continued: ANTS/ p4
European fire ant. ANTWEB.ORG
The Colour Party marches around the cenotaph at All Sappers’ Memorial Park in Vedder during a ceremony recognizing the 97th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on Wednesday. For more photos, go online to theprogress.com/community. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Emergency spill drill conducted on Cheam beach Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
There was no actual oil spilled yesterday into the Fraser River. It was just an emergency response exercise being conducted Thursday by Kinder Morgan officials on the Cheam First Nation beach. But the public may have noticed some extra activity and traffic under the Agassiz-Rosedale bridge. They were demonstrating Kinder Morgan emergency spill response plans and testing containment equipment for most of the day. It was a scheduled exercise
“conducted as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to safety and emergency preparedness,” said officials in a press release from Kinder Morgan. The drill saw land‐based instruction on spill response equipment setup and deployment, followed by an on‐water deployment of emergency equipment including a containment boom. “I’m glad that Kinder Morgan decided to do this on our reserve,” said Darwin Douglas, a Cheam First Nation band councillor. “It’s good for us to get a glimpse of some of their emergency preparedness plans and response techniques.” Pipeline safety is obviously of
huge concern to Cheam members, and to the First Nations community in general, Douglas underlined. “Many people had questions, like where the emergency equipment is located, and how long would it take to get here in the case of a spill,” he said. “It’s a large concern for us in terms of fishing, or other cultural uses in the area, and the environmental health of our territory in general.” Keeping the channels of communication open with pipeline proponents is also important. “So this exercise was appreciated by us since their existing pipeline goes through areas of cultural use, including those near
the river,” he said. Equipment included trucks and an oil spill response trailer, a small front‐end loader, and three Kinder Morgan Canada boats. In addition to the spill response equipment, the wildlife response unit was also on display. “The purpose of this exercise is to practise Kinder Morgan Canada’s emergency response plans to ensure an effective and coordinated response in the unlikely event of an emergency,” the release said. “Kinder Morgan Canada conducts regular emergency response training each year at various locations and under different scenarios.” Continued: SPILL/ p8
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