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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
August 12 - 18, 2021
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ISSUE
CBSA strike causes truck delays, page 4
Recreational crabbing starts August 19, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
New senior center director, page 7
Pirate Daze plunges into Blaine and Birch Bay Stakeholders react to Cherry Point decision By Ian Haupt
(See Cherry Point, page 2)
s Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 hosted Pirate Daze at Blaine Marine Park and the future Birch Bay Vogt Community Library August 7. Blaine Community Theater performed “The Pirates of Penzance,” while attendees dressed in pirate attire, played at game stations and participated in an annual water balloon fight. See more photos on page 15. Photo courtesy Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2
Canada border opens after 505 days By Grace McCarthy Blaine residents are packing their bags now that the Canada border is open to fully vaccinated U.S. travelers. On day 505 of the U.S./Canada border being closed, the ‘gates that may never be closed’ opened at 9 p.m. August 8 for U.S. travelers seeking anything from reuniting with family to recreational tourism. Although significant delays weren’t reported at Blaine’s border crossings, cars were lined up in front of the Peace Arch border crossing – a once-common sight that had been
unseen for nearly a year and a half. Blaine resident Carol Miller is preparing to take a day-trip to visit her mom in Tsawwassen Friday, August 13. This will be the first time Miller has seen her mom since February 2019. “We had planned to get together for her 85th birthday in mid-March but when Covid was taking hold we decided we shouldn’t take the chance. It was shortly after that they closed the border,” she said. “I can’t even express how I feel about finally being able to visit her. Emotional, worried, excited, relieved.”
City council meetings start back up in person By Grace McCarthy Brown office chairs swiveled, bright spot lights aimed at those speaking and an energy similar to the first day of school permeated through council chambers on Monday, August 9. Six Blaine city council members, city staff and nearly 20 members of the public returned for the first in-person meeting at city hall since March 2020. Business resumed as usual, with the significance of the first meeting since spring 2020 going largely unaddressed until
Blaine city manager Michael Jones spoke during department reports. “Welcome back,” he said. “It’s been a long time. I, for one, am glad to be in the same room having a face-to-face conversation.” Council tackled several items during the August 9 meeting: Promoting two Blaine Police Department officers to sergeants, addressing changes to new work-live zoning, and updating Blaine Municipal Code for the first time since 2012. Public comment was halted for the meeting because city staff needed more time to
get the comment period to work with the new hybrid set up. Even with an audience at city hall, the public couldn’t speak because the city would need to allow those accessing the meeting remotely to also speak, city clerk Sam Crawford explained. Guidelines are set for the new hybrid meetings. New Open Public Meeting Act rules state public meetings must offer a virtual component. Under the guidelines, councilmembers and staff must show proof (See Council, page 3)
Miller said her mother contracted Covid-19 and was in critical condition for two weeks, but she was unable to see her in the hospital during that time. She typically visits her mom every few weeks but doesn’t plan on visiting as often with the current border requirements. The U.S. and Canada jointly decided to close their borders to non-essential traffic in March 2020 as a way to combat the spread of Covid-19. The U.S. has yet to reciprocate Canada’s relaxation of the border (See Border, page 5)
INSIDE
In late July, Whatcom County Council enacted a series of comprehensive plan amendments that will restrict the building of new fossil fuel refineries and shipping facilities at Cherry Point, while upgrades will undergo stricter environmental review. As one of the first refinery counties in the U.S. to pass such policies, local environmental groups celebrated the council’s vote as a milestone in fossil fuel industry regulation. The industry looks to adjust with the times. “These regulations could usher in a new era of fossil fuel policymaking in the U.S., where local municipalities can use existing regulatory power to restrict the growth of the fossil fuel industry in an era where the U.S. must swiftly transition to renewable energy sources,” Bellingham-based environmental groups Stand.Earth and RE Sources for Sustainable Communities wrote in a joint statement. Council unanimously amended the county comprehensive plan in its July 27 meeting to prohibit the construction of new fossil fuel refineries, transshipment facilities and other infrastructure expansions in the Cherry Point industrial zone. The adopted amendments will also subject upgrade projects for existing refineries and terminals to more rigorous environmental review and permitting processes. Cherry Point is home to two of Washington’s five oil refineries, BP and Phillips 66. Even though the amendments will impose more responsibilities on the refineries, Pam Brady, government affairs manager for BP Cherry Point Refinery, urged council to pass the regulations without change. “These additional responsibilities reflect a consensus stakeholder view of what is needed to serve our community, and they are also consistent with the spirit of BP’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change,” Brady said in the meeting. “Our employees will rise to the challenge.” BP has launched a transformation cam-
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