Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, September 15, 2021
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Volume 61 • Issue 35
Nickel concentrate spills at Vale after storage tank fails
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
Thompson Citizen photo courtesy of Vale Manitoba Operations The T1 headframe and concentrator at Vale’s Manitoba Operations site in Thompson. Nickel concentrate slurry spilled from a tank inside the concentrator in the early morning Sept. 10 and cleanup continued over the weekend. BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Nickel concentrate slurry spilled on Vale Manitoba Operations property Friday morning when a storage tank failed, the company says.
The tank failure occurred around 5:50 a.m.Sept. 10 and resulted in nickel concentrate slurry spilling into the parking lot near the main entrance to the concentrator. No one was injured as a result
of the spill and the material was contained on the site and posed no risk to employees or contractors. Cleanup of the area began immediately and was expected to continue over the weekend. While it continued, traffic into Vale’s
plant site was reduced to a single lane. Manitoba Conservation and Climate’s Environment Emergency Response Team was notified of the incident and all parties are working to ensure a safe and
complete cleanup, Vale says. The cause of the storage tank failure is also being investigated. The concentrator is the first stage of separating nickel ore from waste at Vale Manitoba Operations.
Inquest into train conductor’s 2018 death near Ponton won’t consider all circumstances of the derailment covered around 5:30 p.m. The judge also said that on Sept. 15, 2018 by a expanding the scope would Nickel Belt News photo by more Ian Graham An inquest into the death helicopter pilot flying over involve calling witAddictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. of a man who was trapped the area. Thompson Fire & nesses and extend the six for hours in a train followEmergency Services and weeks allotted for the inBY GRAHAM For all theFatality harsh weather when people say quest. ing IAN a 2018 derailment near to write things that you have ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow other agencies, including The InquirEDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET I have all these stories and to fi gure out. It’s pretty clear to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar Ponton won’t look at all the the RCMP, responded to ies Act, under which the Though she’ssurrounding now written when I get through.” I need to capture them for thought that was exciting should justbut findparamedics somewhere bears, said if it circumstances the crash inquestdeMeulles was called, states a book about experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier live. attending to had viable which she would the crash, but her mainly those did nottobegin that been inquests, do ces growing up in Churchill, her book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back Churchsurrounding emergency serAnderson and the 59-year- not assign blametobut make Addictions Foundation of the Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there. in a heartbeat. on how vices’ response, a judge has old engineer – the only They other ill recommendations Manitoba northern director North - Life in Churchill for She also has a reputation cats, I was probably sitting should justthe leave,’ misssimilar the shoreline, ruled. person on trainis– quite until to “Iavoid deaths inI Gisele deMeulles said writa couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disremiss the rock, I the Provincial court Associate nearly midnight because the the future, shouldmiss be coning wasn’t something she “I just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though Chief Judge Malcolm Mctrain was transporting fuel ducted not only fairly but always would in another area very dangerous and Donald thought issued ashe ruling on you know what, this his- tory and I would tell people spurred her on was the same and theboat accident site had to they’re also expeditiously. do. tory, this stuff that’s in my hard times facing Churchill I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson stories and they would go, the scope of the inquest into be declared safe first. AnIn June, McDonald ruled “In my youth I never head, it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Bay Railabout that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go the September 2018 death of derson died about an hour that four of five disputed felt good atKevin writing,” she if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations have the option to donever that? back home, from standing on the 38-year-old Anderson after they arrived, sentences the TSB Thompson Citizen file photo said. “But when I moved ‘You didn’t do all that, did said. “My kids are not gonorth of Gillam last spring. I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out from The Pas on Aug. 31. having been extracted from report were admissible on as An inquest into the death of a you? 38-year-old man from The Pas who died after theaHudson to Anderson’s Thompson family, to get into ing to get it if I don’t do it You’ve got to be really “It used to be really like they’re pawns the bay, itto just youbean the Bay Railway train he was on derailed near Ponton in September 2018 will not examine feeling the wreckage. The engineer evidence thegives inquest the schoolRegional of socialHealth work, and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community was in a political game and incredible You feel so Northern freed around 2:30that’s am. cause theysense. appeared to be all the circumstances of the crash but mostly the response by emergency services. The at that point I had to write sad for becausetoI small and you feelThe great.” Authority (NRHA) and the ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down really and taken bythem helicopter statements of fact. only conductor diedan more than afterwent the ‘What?’” accident was from injuries think for university and realized, My mom’s elder andseven 27,’hours and they to discovered such a small population the people of ChurchNow that she’scould got Teamsters Canadian Rail do. Thompson General hospital sentence he decided ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, the chief medical examiner believed he could have survived. she’s an artist, she’s got so now,” deMeulles says. one book under her belt, Looking back, some of ill really want to thrive. Conference (TCRC) – the for treatment. not be admitted read, “With right?’ I certainly developed many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though not when there They’ve built their worlds says she may try union to which Anderson “The heartbreaking fact is deMeulles a reduced engineering force, mer rail line owner OmniMcDonald’s ruling noted that the trainshe’s derailed a lot of skill in university cause she always tells her she might not do again. any longer, her parents and there. How would we feel to produce another. belonged – had argued that Trax and the inquest counsel that the circumstances of the it hit a section of track that that Mr. Anderson’s injuries, the track infrastructure and came out of there with stories Parks Canada in derailment “I did somehave prettyalready bizarre her and otherdue family someone cameappropriate to you and began “I have another book in the inquest should investihad there been to deteriorate.” said theatproceeding should wassister unsupported to if a very skill in my andscope I’ve always fuel hauls the members ‘I’mintervention, sorry, you have to me,” says. in “It’s a darker gate thestrong circumstances of Churchill medical were Theshe inquest The Pas is abide by the set out stuff been like investigated byinto Transa culvert still and are. the rail bed said, writing and confi dence in hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the leave your home community story, more about personthe derailment on the Hud- by the chief medical exa- port Canada and the Trans- being washed out by high probably survivable in the set to take place from Demy I write very put it on tape, who I willordered write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn store there,” she and we’re to displace growth andyear struggles. son writing. Bay Railway (HBR) opinion ofgoing the CME,” Mc- al cember of this to Febminer (CME) portation Safety Board of hardware water. clear and that’s it.HBR, It’s there. because your story on me until after. That found was a says. somewhere in the next five years near Ponton. The for- for Donald wrote. else and all Maybe ruary 2022. Canada (TSB), which The accident was dis- you the you inquest. BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,
very dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel
Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”