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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014
Motor home fire due to gas siphoning BY
JESSICA KERR
jkerr@delta-optimist.com
Port Metro Vancouverâs CEO has stated truckers who continue with strike action could have their port-issued permits suspended or terminated.
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Appeals made to end dispute B.C. transportation minister Todd Stone says trucking impasse âdoubly frustratingâ BY
JESSICA KERR
jkerr@delta-optimist.com
B.C.âs Transportation Minister Todd Stone was appealing to federal and Port Metro Vancouver officials Monday afternoon in hopes of resolving an ongoing dispute between the port and container truck drivers. Stone said he planned to speak with both federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Infrastructure Minister Denny Lebel to encourage them to consider all options to stop the impasse, noting his government has no jurisdiction to legislate an
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end to the dispute because the port is federally regulated. âThis is frustrating,â Stone. âItâs doubly frustrating when itâs British Columbiaâs economy at the pointy end of the stick. Itâs B.C.âs jobs that are being compromised.â Port Metro Vancouver issued an ultimatum to truck drivers over the weekend in an effort to end the ongoing labour dispute. On Sunday, CEO Robin Silvester said the port authority will look at suspending or terminating the licenses for truckers who continue with strike action. âThe efficient movement of marine containers through Port
Metro Vancouver is critical to Canadaâs Asia Pacific Gateway and Canadaâs economy,â he said. âTruckers have Port Metro Vancouver issued permits that allow them, through trucking companies, to provide service to terminals at the port. A continued refusal by some truckers to provide such service is likely to result in suspension or termination of their permits by Port Metro Vancouver.â Silvester made the statement after both union and non-union truckers met with the port authority and government representatives Sunday afternoon.
Government officials outright refused to negotiate with the union until its drivers were back on the job, Gavin McGarrigle, a director for Unifor, the union representing about 400 drivers, said after the meeting. âWe told them we had some questions and concerns and wanted to negotiate in good faith a resolution to the situation â we understand itâs a serious situation and we want to get our members back to work,â said McGarrigle. âOne of the first comments from government was that there would See DISPUTE page 3
Delta police confirmed this week that the River Road motor home fire over the weekend started as three suspects tried to siphon gasoline from the holding tanks at a gas station. At about 3 a.m. Saturday, Delta police and fire personnel responded to a fire in the 10200-block of River Road, which is just under the Alex Fraser Bridge, and found a motor home fully engulfed in flames. Two male victims were located on scene, but a third victim was seen fleeing the area. She was later found at a home in New Westminster and is being treated for burns to her face, arms and scalp, said Sgt. Sarah Swallow, adding that her injuries were not as serious as originally thought. The two male victims, however, remain in intensive care in critical but stable condition. Swallow said investigators believe that the motor home was parked over the top of the inground fuel tanks. Once parked, the suspects removed a trap door in the floorboards of the motor home and accessed the tanks. Police estimate the suspects siphoned hundreds of litres of gas from the in-ground tank into a large plastic storage tank inside the motor home. Swallow said that during the siphoning process, an unknown ignition source ignited the gasoline stored on board, resulting in the fire. The investigation is ongoing and the suspects could face several charges including theft over $5,000.
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