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■ NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022 | VOLUME 37 | NO. 48
Slick spotted at Union Bay shipbreaking dock Terry Farrell Record staff
Residents of Union Bay and area are becoming increasingly incensed with the lack of action against Deep Water Recovery, a shipbreaking business that operates on the Baynes Sound shoreline. The complaints have always been it is not a matter of if there is an incident that compromises the ecosystem, but a matter of when. ‘When’ happened earlier this month. A video showing what appears to be an oil slick – and confirmed to be so by Fisheries
and Oceans Canada (DFO) - was posted to YouTube Thursday morning. “We knew this was coming. There is no way you can break apart vessels like this, that have hazardous waste, without having an incident,” said Courtenay Alberni Member of Parliament Gord Johns. “We have been very clear that these old vessels can contain hazardous materials like asbestos and Mercurian lead and PCBs and carcinogenics… and sure enough, we’ve had this incident that has happened. We have received response from the DFO, but the fear is that without a strong response from the federal government, they are going to continue.”
Johns saw the video Thursday morning and immediately started correspondence with the DFO, which acknowledged the incident in question. According to correspondence received by Johns, the Emergency Management BC (EMBC) office advised an environmental emergency response officer (EERO) of “a reported rainbow sheen on the ocean around a shipbreaking operation on the foreshore of Union Bay.” The Canadian Coast Guard was called in, Continued on Page A11
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT Justin Hallworth lights up his home, at 1064 17th St. in Courtenay, every year for the Christmas season. He has no idea how many bulbs it takes to light the entire display, but he said it’s “about 60 Rubbermaid containers’ worth.’ ” The roof alone takes 55 strands of lights. It takes him about a month to set up every year. Why do he and his wife do it? “It’s fun,” he says. Photo by Terry Farrell
December is a time for f giving.......
I-Hos icon retires Ramona Johnson, who has been the manager of the I-Hos Gallery since its inception in 1995, has left the popular Indigenous art gallery. 3
Drilling begins The Comox Valley Regional District has begun borehole drillingalong the Comox Valley Sewer Conveyance Project route to confirm the presence or absence of archaeological materials. 4
Dignitaries take in Walk With Me Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson, as well as Comox Va ley-Strathcona-North Island Medical Health Officer Dr. Charmaine Enns, were among the 30 participants at Saturday’s (Nov. 26) Walk With Me event in Courtenay. 7
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