BRITISH COLUMBIA

Explosion danger fuels
inquiry into LPG plant

A little-publicized hearing Tuesday
into the dangers of liquefied petroleum
gas that could wind up blowing 1,700
Burnaby citizens off the map will likely
produce some favorable resolutions to
the years-old problem.

But the rest of the safety issue concern-
ing Trans Mountain Pipeline’s West-
ridge Terminal will have to be fought by
the municipality, an official of the federal
Railway Transport Committee said.

_ The RTC, a branch of the Canadian
Transport Commission, heard several
groups call for much-needed changes in
the terminal’s elevated pipeline which
carries liquefied petroleum gas — LPG,
or “propane” — across heavily used
railway lines beside Burrard Inlet, a
situation the CTC itself has concluded is
ripe for disaster.

The line, which pumps some 350,000
gallons per hour into LPG tanker ships,
could easily be severed in even a minor
train derailment. But, despite years of
negotiations with the municipality, and
threats of closure, the company has
failed to enact a series of measures to.
lessen the danger.

Backed by recommendations by the
Bumaby and provincial fire depart-
ments, Burnaby has called on Trans
Mountain to install a new service road,
fencing along the waterfront to limit pub-
lic access to the Westridge grounds, and
a new fire extinguishing system.

In its 1982 report on the transhipment
and storage of hazardous goods through
Greater Vancouver, the RTC singled out
Westridge, noting “the potential for dis-
aster is substantial.”

_ The committee was particularly con-

“cerned with the support structures that

maintain the elevated lines that carry
LPG from railway cars to and back to
tankers from nearby storage tanks. The
report recommended that the structures
which could be toppled by a derailment,
be moved to a distance of at least 15
metres from the main tracks by Dec. 31,
1983. If Trans Mountain failed to
comply, the report recommended “‘the
committee consider ordering the discon-
tinuance of rail service to the plant.”

Up to the hearing date, the company
had failed to comply with any of the
measures.

“Trans Mountain’s failure to act on

these reasonable requests demonstrates
its arrogant disregard for the concerns of
the people of this community, as well as
those of the regulatory bodies,” charged
Communist Party federal candidate for
North Vancouver-Burnaby, Miguel
Figueroa at the hearing.

In his submission to the hearing oper-
ations vice-president E.J. Lockwood
acknowledged the company had last
year claimed its LPG operation was not
profitable enough to “survive the costs
which necessarily be incurred by per-
forming’ the modifications recom-
mended...”

In the next breath, however, the vice-
president said the company now consid-
ers the modifications “can be supported
by the existing propane exports.”

Figueroa said the company’s sudden
willingness to comply with the RTC is
more likely due to the threat of “public
exposure and discontinuing rail service,”
but welcomed the development.

While supporting the RTC and Bur-
naby council recommendations, Figueroa
also raised the preferable option of plac-
ing the LPG lines underground, similar
to the facilities of other terminals along
Burrard Inlet. And, referring to studies
on the dangers of hazardous goods in the
highly populated Port of Vancouver, he
urged, “It’s time that all hazardous
chemical facilities were moved out of the
Burrard Inlet.”

While Trans Mountain has indicated
its willingness to comply with the com-
mittee and the municipality’s recom-
mendations, the issues are far from
resolved. : :

Prior to the hearings, Burnaby’s Ald.
Doreen Lawson had complained of
“Trans Mountain’s lack of complete
compliance with the recommendations
...it seems our historical pattern with
Trans Mountain is one of procrastination.”

Some of the dangers from an LPG
leak were outlined in the 1982 report on
hazardous goods by port planner Joseph
Marston.

“In the event of a major uncontrolled
propane fire or explosion at the terminal,
there is every reason to believe that the
safety of those persons residing on or
near the western and southern peri-
meters of the Westridge site would be
placed in serious jeopardy,” he warned.

Surrey teacher cuts
raise community ire

Parents are joining teachers in demand-
ing the Surrey school board rescind.‘its
layoff notices handed 39 teachers last week,
said the president of the Surrey Teachers
Association.

Moira McKenzie said a packed meeting
of parents at Surrey’s Dr. F.D. Sinclair ele-
mentary school Feb. 16 produced “not one
sign of anti-teacher feeling. ..Parents have
been meeting all over Surrey and they’re
directing their anger at the board for being
the willing handmaidens of the Socreds’
cutbacks.”

Surrey is the latest district to hand pink
slips to teachers in the middle of the school
year. The laid off teachers will be on the
streets Mar. 16, and a further 83 may be cut
in June.

But unlike Nanaimo, Qualicum and
some other districts where trustees have
joined the swelling protest against the Min-
istry of Education’s multi-million dollar
cutbacks, the Surrey board has become the
target of teachers’ and parents’ wrath.

“The board hasn’t exactly been doing a
lot of building with the community,” said
McKenzie. “‘They’ve held all their budget
sessions in private.”

Bus inquiry demanded

Parents in the Comox Valley, angered
and upset over the recent Mount Washing-
ton bus accident that took the lives of two
students, directed their fire at the provincial
government for chopping motor vehicle
inspections Feb. 13.

The central committee of the Comox Val-
ley Parents Association, which represents
the school consultative committees in the
district, decided at a packed meeting at the
Courtenay Junior Secondary School to
strike a committee to examine bus safety
and to keep the issue “high profile.”

They also urged each committee to write
letters to the premier and Alex Fraser, the
minister of transportation, after hearing
Comox MLA Karen Sanford call for a “full
public inquiry” into the practices of bus
companies. :

Courtenay school trustee Wayne Brad-
ley, who attended the meeting, said he

would take Sanford’s call to the school -

board for a vote.
Sanford, whose constituency includes the

. faces a series of grievances and litigatiO®

Despite urgings from the community,
board has refused to file a “needs” budg# :
with the ministry, and instead has ee
modated without protest the ministry’ $3. :
million shortfall, said McKenzie.

At issue are not only the layoffs, but tf :
manner in which the board effected them.”

cases from the STA for violating senionly :
agreements.

“In one case, we have a teacher laid off
who is 101st on the seniority list (Surrey has
several hundred teachers). We have ant ;

teacher with 12 years seniority laid off, 5
McKenzie.

Several actions are in the planning stag®
On Mar. 5, parents and teachers will g@
outside the Surrey board office for
demonstration.

This Thursday, a general membership
meeting of the STA will decide further
actions, including work-to-rule and a on
day strike during which teachers W0
head to Victoria for a demonstration on
steps of the legislature, “unless the b04
agrees to take a stand.” ;

mountain where a bus overcrowded with
students lost braking power and flipped |
Jan. 31, said her demands for an inquiry
have been rejected by Fraser and a legis#
tive committee set up to study the “privat
zation” of motor vehicle inspections. }
In an interview the NDP MLA related2
_host of illegal practices:that have come {9
light in. the wake of the-accident. She cited :
the testimony of a former employee of the
bus company involved, Conmac, reports”
the company routinely exchanged patts |
among the vehicles in its fleet so that ea
bus would pass inspection. oe
“That has been corroborated by people
employed in the testing branch. They kne¥
about, but said the practice was extremely |
difficult to trace down,” Sanford said.
Cutbacks in motor vehicle inspectio®
which followed the Socred’s July 7 budge
eliminated all but one inspector on Vai-
couver Island, where there are some 800
buses in operation, But even that job go

Mar. 9.

Media barrage distorts Kissinger issue

The Arts, Sciences and Technology
Centre and the Junior League have jointly
invited Henry Kissinger, former U.S.
secretary of state, to speak to a $150-a-
plate dinner in Vancouver on Feb. 22.
Mayor Mike Harcourt was listed by the
two groups as a sponsor of the dinner. The
issue came before council when a delega-
tion from the Coalition Against the Kis-
singer Visit (made up of a wide variety of
peace and human rights groups) asked
council to disassociate itself from the
dinner. The Arts, Sciences and Technol-
ogy Centre recently received a $68,900
grant from the city to further its stated
objectives which are to promote science,
art and technology.

After considerable and often acrimon-
ious debate, city council by a 7-4 vote
passed the following motion:

“That council ask the Arts, Sciences
and Technology Centre and the Junior
League to invite an official of the Nicara-
guan government to Vancouver to speak
on the same terms as Dr. Kissinger.”

The reason the debate on the motion

. was so hot was because of what Kissinger
represents. He was a leading member of
the U.S. administration which hatched the
CIA plot to overthrow the democratic
government of Chile and replace it with a
violent and brutal military dictatorship
upheld by U.S. arms and money. More
recently Kissinger authored a report for
President Ronald Reagan which urged the

Harry
Rankin

U.S. to step up its murderous intervention
in Central America.

It was a legitimate issue for city council
to consider for three good reasons: (1) A
delegation of citizens appeared before
council on the issue; (2) Mayor Harcourt’s
name had appeared as a sponsor; (3) The
city funds one of the sponsoring organiza-
tions.

The press then proceeded to distort the
issue beyond recognition.

The Vancouver Sun, in an editorial
entitled “Silly Hall”, falsely claimed that
council was trying to prevent “reasonable
people from hearing what Kissinger had to
say” despite the fact that there is nothing
in city council’s resolution even suggesting
that Kissinger should not come. The Sun

called me a “leftist ideologue” but placed
no labels such as “ideologue” on a man
whom millions in Asia and Central and
South America consider a dangerous war
criminal.

Then the hired hacks of the Sun got in
their bit to earn their thirty pieces of silver.
Pete McMartin rushed to the defence of

‘the two sponsoring groups to invite the

Kissinger portraying him as a man of
peace and falsely claiming that council was
“intent on insulting Kissinger.” There was
nothing in council’s motion that could be |
construed by even the most biased person
as an insult to Kissinger.

Dennis Boyd, the Sun’s right-wing gos-_
sip columnist, charged that council, by its
resolution, had “challenged the basic
democratic principle of free speech.” That
too is completely false because, as I said
before, council did not do anything to
prevent Kissinger from coming to Van-
couver to speak.

What’s the matter with council asking

victims of U.S. aggression in Central
America to also have their say? Have they
no right to free speech?

Kissinger is not an artist or a man of
science or peace. Why an organization
that is publicly funded and professes to be
interested only in the arts, science and
technology should decide to bring in a
notorious war hawk has not been
explained.

2 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 22, 1984