AUDITIONS
Two auditions going on for Tommy and Sooke Talent Show. Page 2, 21
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Editorial
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Entertainment
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Sports/stats
Page 29
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Concerns voiced over oil spills Locals look for answers from Kinder Morgan representative Octavian Lacatusu
considered in Sooke. According to Davies, the base would be Kinder Morgan, one comprised of a total of of the world’s biggest 12 crew, a small wareexporters/transport- house with booms and ers of petroleum and response equipment, Alberta crude, paid a possibly two vessels, visit to the Sooke coun- a 65 ft/90 ft vessel and cil chambers April 7 some auxiliary vessels. to address the local In addition, it would concern for increased be what the WCMRC tanker traffic along the calls a “tier 5” response operation, cutting the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Michael Davies, cleanup time from 72 senior director for hours to 36 in case of a marine development major spill. “The commitment at Kinder Morgan Canada, met with a tense in our project is that but respectful crowd in this enhanced level the chamber hall that of response capacity would be provided,” night. Cause of all this ten- Davies said. But despite WCMRC’s sion? At this point, 300,000 barrels of enthusiasm to expand Alberta crude trickles its operations in Sooke, through the Burnaby so far “no” is all that pipeline every day - the was heard echoing proposed Trans Moun- from Sooke residents. One of the night’s tain pipeline extension however, would kick up first speakers, Sinclair production to just shy Philip, eluded to the S.S. Valencia incident, of 900,000 barrels. More barrels would the infamous shipmean more tankers, wreck where the majorand subsequently, ity of its passengers more tanker traffic; or drowned due to severe 34 tankers a month weather - a factor that instead of your average could apparently affect WCMRC’s response five. This, says Davies, capabilities in the event is why the company of an oil spill taking is trying to work with place during a storm. “I understood that the Western Canada Marine Response Cor- WCMRC would not poration (WCMRC) send people out in a that is currently look- severe storm because ing to implement five they wouldn’t want to #1 Real Estate Company in Canada oil spill response bases put their lives at risk, for Sales last 4 Consecutive Years may which I think on Vancouver Island, one of which is being curb their ability to
Sooke News Mirror
Pirjo Raits/Octavian Lacatusu photos
Top, staff from the Stick in the Mud accept their People’s Choice award at the Business Excellence Awards on April 11. They also won for Business of the Year. Middle, a volunteers helps pull broom on Whiffin Spit. Below, Scott Ward hypnotized audience members into believing they were flying a plane.
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route. That however, plays a stark contrast to the federal government’s recent decision to cut three of the five Canadian Coast Guard’s marine communication centres on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. A recent bunker oil spill in Vancouver harbour, showed the dangers - and slow response time - in the event of a wide-area oil spill. Another speaker, Ralph Hull, brought back the 1989 Exxon Valdez guffaw into light. “You seem like a nice guy, but you represent an industry that is horribly disastrous to all of us mariners and the people on the West Coast here,” Hall said. “It’s an industry that’s not environmentally friendly, or people friendly, that’s why we are concerned and want to keep a thumb on you guys.” Kinder Morgan is named after company chairman and CEO Richard Kinder, an American businessman and former U.S. Army captain, and William Morgan. The partnership goes back to their executive positions at Enron. The entire meeting can be viewed online at sooke.ca video archives.
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respond,” Philip said. “I can’t understand how the people in the tourism crowd, fisheries, First Nations, could withstand a devastating oil spill in the area. We already had a referendum and the people of Sooke spoke out and I hope our council will stand by the resounding rejection to increase tanker traffic down the Strait.” Davies however, refuted the response, adding that the recovery procedure in the event of a storm wouldn’t change. “It’s like any other recovery activity; if it’s not safe for the people out there responding, then they won’t be on the water,” he said. “It won’t stop the response completely, but bad weather would hamper their ability to collect oil in the water.” The ships carrying crude feature double bottom hulls, modern instrumentation, as well as current GPS monitoring technology. “There’s been a lot of changes in technology since Captain Cook was here,” jested Davies. Davies pointed out that a six-hour response time plan would require about 100 new jobs, $100 million in new capital for spill response and five new spill response bases along the tanker
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