FRIDAY
December 30, 2011
A division of
Vol. 26 No. 104
COMOX VALLEY RECORD $1.25
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Coast Guard cuts slammed by union
ROUGH RIDE
Scott Stanfield
Sign of the times
Record Staff
AUBREE MALLETTE (front), along with Comox councillors Ken Grant, Barbara Price (left) and early childhood educators Charlene Gray and Tracy Wharram displays one of 30 childfriendly signs which will be placed around the Comox Valley as part of Project Childsign. The campaign, which officially launched at the Comox Marina last week, involves the display of child-friendly picture and text signs on municipal buildings and park locations to encourage literacy, to plan for children in public spaces and remind adults that children are an integral part of any community. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK
The Canadian Auto Workers’ Union (CAW) Local 2182 is blasting the federal government for planned cuts to Coast Guard centres. The Canadian Coast Guard intends next month to reduce the number of officers on watch most of the year at Marine Communications and Traffic Services centres. Although no one is losing their job per se, the union is concerned about mariner safety due to inadequate resources during emergencies. Most centres, including the one in Comox, are manned by three staff members at any given hour. “What they’re intending to do for a good portion of the year is reduce that down to two on watch at any given time,” CAW Local 2182 regional director Allan Hughes said Thursday. “When we get a day like today where it was beautiful, sunny and calm and now it’s blown up to 30 knots on the water, it doesn’t take long for a lot of incidents to occur.” Incidents could involve a boater who has run out of gas or fallen overboard, or a vessel that has gone aground or sunk. “That can happen any time of year, and if you don’t have enough people to handle the communications then you’re in a situation where you’re so busy dealing with one situation you don’t hear somebody else calling for help,” Hughes said. “We’re here to protect people and save lives.” MCTS centres provide distress and safety communication, traffic services and weather information. Each year, the centre at Cape Lazo regulates 55,000 vessel movements through the Inside Passage, and handles more than 850 marine incidents. A total of 17 people work at the Comox centre. The union is calling on the Coast Guard — an agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) — to reverse its decision. Calls to DFO were not returned by press time. reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
Happy New Year From Our Family to Yours. M a k e Yo u r H o u s e , a Ve r a - D e W i n d o w s H o m e
2940 Moray Ave., Courtenay
There has been an increase in the number of cancelled sailings on the Powell River ferry. ■ 3
GAMES GREAT
With the 2012 BC Winter Games set to start in Vernon in February, spirit is building in every community across British Columbia. The brainchild of Premier W.R. Bennett, the Games began in 1978 in Penticton. Since then, 38 communities across the province have hosted the Games, some of them more than once. Over 200,000 people have volunteered and over 150,000 athletes have competed since it began.
...Full story on page ■ 9
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