pulse
look
Dad in the Dark Page 13
Friday, May 7, 2010
Blowout tames unruly tresses Page 19
West Van: 172 pages North Van: 164 pages
rev
King of the Benzes Page 47
Voted Canada’s Best Community Newspaper
your source for local sports, news, weather and entertainment! www.nsnews.com
0¢
Slick NV operation aids gulf cleanup Spill response company ramps up production James Weldon jweldon@nsnews.com
THE giant oil slick spreading from the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico threatens to turn into one of the largest ecological disasters in history. It falls to a North Vancouver company to help stop that from happening. Aqua-Guard Spill Response, a company that specializes in oil cleanup, has about 16 skimming devices in the Gulf region that may be recruited to aid in the cleanup, and workers at their North Vancouver facility are getting ready to build more. “They realize this is going to go on for quite a long time, so what we’re doing is ramping up everything here to start production again on all of our (systems),” said Aqua-Guard owner Nigel Bennett. “It could go on for months and months and months.” The company’s seagoing NEWS photo Mike Wakefield machines are designed to be launched into a slick once NIGEL Bennett of North Vancouver’s Aqua-Guard Spill Response shows some of his company’s equipment being deployed in the Gulf of the oil has been contained by Mexico. Behind him are two large pallets of equipment also earmarked. booms. They float around the polluted area, using rotating brushes to scoop oil off the surface, scrape it into a catchment and pump it away through a hose to a storage tank. Under ideal conditions, some of the machines can pick up as in the district, few are applying for permits. much as a barrel every five seconds. “We build small little skimming Sarah Ripplinger “As of April 23, we have received only 15 applications (for systems all the way up to very large skimming systems that would newsroom@nsnews.com secondary suites),” Bob Sokol, manager of planning, lands fill a 50-foot flatbed truck,” said Bennett. and permits, told council on Monday. “As of this week, one Many of the Aqua-guard systems already in the Gulf are the ONLY one secondary suite in the District of West (secondary suite) has been approved.” property of Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company. The Vancouver has actually been approved by the Existing in-law suites with valid permits are still permitted contractor hired by British Petroleum to run the Deepwater municipality since a new secondary suite licensing in the district, but no new applications for in-law suites were Horizon cleanup is trying to bring some of those machines onboard program took effect March 1. accepted as of March 1, 2010. for the effort, but with an estimated 800,000 litres of oil gushing There is concern that many individuals that previously owned Only 42 of the 82 known in-law suites registered in the from the damaged well every day, Bennett doesn’t believe it will in-law suites have not yet registered for a secondary suite and See WV page 3 See Weather page 5 that, of the estimated 600 to over 1,000 secondary suite owners
WV suite owners yet to co-operate
SEIZEYOURMOMENT
ES 2010
350
LEASE OR FINANCE FOR UP TO 48 MONTHS
1.9%
MSRP
OR
CASH PURCHASE ADJUSTMENT
CASH PURCHASE PRICE
$
43,845* $ 3,000**
$
40,845
***
INCLUDES FREIGHT/PDI
*MSRP for 2010 Lexus ES 350 sfx‘A’ is $43,845, which includes freight and PDI ($1895.). Battery, A/C and tire levies ($130), taxes, insurance and registration are extra. Cash Purchase price for ES 350 is ***$40,845 after cash discount of $3000. **3,000 Cash Incentive offer available on 2010 ES 350 models for all retail customers. $3000 cash purchase incentive is not available to customers who lease or purchase through Lexus Financial Services at a special rate of interest offered by Lexus as part of a low rate interest program. Lease and finance rates of 1.9% up to 48 months are based on approved credit. Offer expires at month’s end unless extended or revised. See Jim Pattison Lexus Northshore for complete details.
Northshore Auto Mall 845 Automall Drive • North Vancouver, BC
604-982-0033 www.jplexus.com
D01130