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www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 62 No. 08
Landing gear malfunction diverts flight
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
1.30 INCLUDES TAX
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By Margaret Speirs Special to the Kitimat Northern Sentinel Kitimat passengers on a late evening WestJet flight from Vancouver to the Northwest Regional Airport Feb. 13 found themselves taking the very long way home when the aircraft’s landing gear wouldn’t release. The aircraft, a Dash 8 400, was instead diverted to Prince George where it landed just after midnight Feb. 14 after the crew manually lowered the gear as emergency ground crews waited on standby. WestJet then put up the passengers in Prince George for the night and provided meals. Passengers were rebooked on flights Feb. 14 and in the case of at least one family, the travel plan involved a flight to Vancouver to then take a flight to Calgary, wait four hours and then return to Terrace on a direct flight from that Alberta city. But the weather in the Terrace area was too windy for the Calgary flight to land and the aircraft flew to Vancouver. WestJet again provided lodging and meals for an overnight stay in Vancouver and the passengers returned to Terrace the morning of Feb. 15. “First and foremost, we apologize to our guests for their experience this past weekend,” said Lauren Stewart from WestJet on Feb. 16.
Kitimat Kinsmen members Sharole Bell and Christine Dielschneider visited the Delta King Lodge to deliver flower seeds to the residents to plant in their gardens. The Kinsmen also sponsored a free community swim on Saturday as part of the Kinsmen’s National Day of KINdness campaign.
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For the love of Corey ...
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Three more expected to join Northern Gateway By Rod Link Special to the Kitimat Northern Sentinel As many as three Coastal First Nations could sign on for a share of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project in the coming months, says an aboriginal leader closely identified with the project. They’ll join 28 First Nations and Metis groups who have already negotiated deals for their portions of the 10 per cent of the project set aside for aboriginal ownership, says Bruce Dumont, the president of the Metis Nation of B.C. Dumont, along with three other aboriginal leaders, are referred to as stewards representing those who have become aboriginal equity partners in the project.
Those aboriginal partners are First Nations and others with land interests along the planned Northern Gateway pipeline route which spans 1,170 kilometres from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat. Should it be built, there will be two pipelines running parallel to each other –– one to carry crude from Alberta to a marine export terminal at Kitimat and a second to import an oil-thinning agent known as condensate which then makes it easier to pump crude through pipelines. “Those agreements have been underway for quite awhile,” said Dumont of the three pending deals with Coastal First Nations. “I can tell you there is support and there is more support to come,” Dumont added of the Northern Gateway project.
Those First Nations who are partners in Northern Gateway went through what he called a “learning process” to better understand how the pipeline will be built, what its economic and other benefits will be and what environmental protection measures will be in place. Dumont said the 10 per cent aboriginal ownership stake of the Northern Gateway project, now estimated to cost in excess of $8 billion, provides First Nations and Metis with needed business and employment opportunities and a say in how it is developed. “What we are are owners. We speak as owners of the pipeline,” added Dumont in indicating the 10 per cent aboriginal stake works out to $800 million in equity. Continued on Page 3