GREATER VANCOUVER

Reports warn of dangers
from chemical shipments
through Lower Mainland

Continued from page 1
‘crisis,”” said Lawrence in reference
to the committees which plan
evacuations in the event of a
chemical spill or explosion caused
by a rail mishap.

The ultimate goal of the special
labor council committee, which
Lawrence said is “‘overwhelmingly
supported”’ by unions representing
many different kinds of port
workers along with citizens’ action
groups, is to “‘gain for the trade
union movement and citizens’
groups equal representation on all
policy decision making bodies in
these industries,” according to a
VDLC statement.

One such group, the Hazardous
Chemicals Action Committee of
North Vancouver district, was in-
strumental in halting the expansion
of the Occidental Petroleum plant,

~ A

PAUL LAWRENCE ... hits CN
safety violations.
formerly known as Hooker
icals, located near the Second
Narrows bridge. The plant stores
and ships chlorine, the chemical
which created a major crisis follow-
ing a train derailment at
Mississauga, Ontario. in
November, 1979.

The groups’ years of activity
forced North Vancouver district
coucil to release the Beak report in-
to the industry on thenorth shore in
1980, and last June the council
passed three bylaws which put a
cap on Occidental’s plans for ex-
panding the facility.

The Beak report commended
Hooker for a good safety record,
but was less kind to nearby Erco

Chemicals, a company with ‘“‘ap-
proximately 200 industrial ac-
cidents since October, 1969.’ The
consultants also noted that the
routes, and final destinations of
Hookers’ shipments were
“unknown.”’

The report warned that ‘the
failure of a storage tank shell and
the release as a ‘puff’ of up to-25
percent of the 650-ton capacity (at
the Hooker plant) due to any cause
would be a disaster of major pro-
portions...mortalities would be
high.”

The authors concluded with a set
of recommendations including in-
creased security, upgraded
emergency planning that included
the participation of municipalities,
and a detailed report by Hooker on
Lawrence, an area that is waiting
for disaster.

The Beak consultants also noted
that some of Hooker’s shipments
were routed through CN’s Lynn
Creek yard, which is, according to
Lawrence, an area that is waiting
for disaster.

“We call it the ‘hot’ yard,”’ said
Lawrence. Its physical
characteristics include a dangerous
downhill slope, conditions which
argue for a safe, go-slow approach.
But CN plans to reduce its work
crews from three to two swit-
chmen, and encourages speed-ups
under an unofficial ‘‘quit’’ system
whereby workers can leave any
time they’ve finished 10 hours
worth of work, according to_
Lawrence.

The subject of rail ferry
transportation within the harbor
has come under the scrutiny of the
Canadian Transport Commission,
which in May released a 78-page
report, Transport of Dangerous
Goods. It noted that Canadian
Pacific railways ships 1,050 cars
filled with hazardous items such as
LPG, chlorine, explosives, fer-
tilizer and caustic soda during a six
month period from two adjacent
ferry slips in the Burrard Inlet near
downtown Vancouver.

Among its recommendations the
CTC report calls for the diversion
of all LPG and explosives
shipments from the CP and Burl-
ington Northern ferry slips by
June, 1983 and of all hazardous

goods shipments by June, 1984, as
well as general recommendations
tightening regulations and moving
hazardous shipments away from
densely populated areas in the
Lower Mainland.

Unfortunately, the CTC’s
words somethimes contradict its
actions. According to Lawrence,
the commission: has allowed the
CN railway to run strings of cars
containing substances which, when
mixed, are explosive, without
“buffer’’ cars to separate the
substances. A combination of nor-
mally inert substances led to the fire
in Mississauga.

Recommendations contained in
the interim Master Port Plan for
the development of the Port of
Vancouver over the next 30 years
also call for a tightening of hazar-
dous goods regulations, and
recommend ‘‘as a matter of prin-
ciple...that hazardous goods be
handled outside of the central
waterfront district of the city of
Vancouver and no additional ter-
minals be located within Burrard
Inlet.”

But the authorities ignored a re-
quest from Vancouver city council
for an extension of Jan. 13 deadline
for submissions to the port plan,
following the concerns of city plan-
ning director Ray Spaxman over
“the need to firm up the removal of
hazardous cargoes and elimination
of dangerous and noxious uses.”’
The final report is due out on Jan.

20, according to project manager

Ray Gainer.

Port safety regulations also
came under fire with the release of
the Marston report on Jan. 9.
In comparing Vancouver’s rules
with those of five other similar
ports, the marine planner and post-
graduate student said a tanker car-
rying LPG could suffer a mishap
with ‘‘catastrophic”’ effects.

Marston cited a lack of regular
inspections of chemical carrying
vessels and navigational problems
within the harbor, as well as poin-
ting out the inadequacy of fighting
a major explosion with the port’s
single fireboat, and called for a full
public inquiry into tanker safety.

The response of port officials
was hostile. While taking issue with

various aspects of Marston’s three-.

of

Cars

Hazardous Materials

CAUSTIC SODA

ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE 1176

METHANOL 1099
FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS 573
CORROSIVE MATERIALS 502
AMMONIA NITRATE 334
SULPHUR: DIOXIDE 199
CHLORINE 190
VINYL CHLORIDE 180
EXPLOSIVES 124

day study, they did little to reassure
citizens that there existed com-

_sprehensive safety and evacuation

measures around hazardous goods
shipments.

But Vancouver mayor Mike
Harcourt promised the next day
that city officials will investigate
Marston’s charges.

In the meantime, items such as
the ammonium nitrate fertilizer are
stacked alongside publicroadways,

in violation of the normal pro- —

cedures which govern the handling
of that material, according to the
safety personnel of the Interna-
tional Longshoremens’ and
Warehousemens’ Union.

The material can explode when
mixed with diesel. fuel or gasoline,
or triggered by intense heat.
Recognition of ammonium
nitrate’s dangers has come from
the company involved, Empire
Stevedoring, which banned smok-
ing near the cargo and added 35
cents hazard pay to the
longshoremen’s hourly rate.

According to longshoreman
Peter Bell, whose father perished in
the 1945 explosion, ammonium
nitrate shipments were removed
from facilities in New Westminster
two years ago on the Fire
Marshall’s orders.

“If anyone says that stuff isn’t
dangerous, they’re full of it,”’ said
Bell.

— was actually pulled.

NATO.

fired from the other jet.

saaesEEEEEPSENDgENEgmenenneremmmmnaeieereetrarere ee eee
PEOPLE AND ISSUES
‘ania ar aie aes enn RIE aN

MS: than once over the past few years, the NATO forces have
shown graphically that it is only a hair trigger that stands between
us and nuclear obliteration. In one case, a flock of wayward geese ona
radar screen put the military on red alert; in another, a computer error
brought the nuclear arsenal to within minutes of launch.

But in the incident last week, the trigger — albeit a less decisive one

Many readers may have seen the news item: two British Royal Air
Force pilots are facing court martial for accidentally shooting down
one of their own fighter jets over West Germany while on exercises for

Although the pilot whose plane was hit managed to eject, his $6.4
million Jaguar jet fighter was literally blown out of the sky by a missile

It seems the switch which controls the missile firing was supposed to
have been wrapped in red tape to show that the plane was armed with
“‘live”’ missiles and ready for combat. But the red tape was missing —
and the pilots blasted away, oblivious to the lethal missile they were

At the risk of sounding flippant about the issue, we’re forced to ask:

the federal government wants to allow testing of Cruise missiles on

Canadian soil?

We can almost imagine the scenario — and given that incident over
West Germany, it’s not so far fetched. An American official, surveying
the smoking rubble of that once was the town of Cold Lake, remarks:
“Well, let me assure you that the missile was not supposed to be carry-

ing a nuclear warhead .. .”
* *

S* months ago, when we went around with him interviewing
former Nanaimo miners from the May Day edition feature, Dus-
ty Greenwell was already looking forward to an operation which he
hoped would ease the shortness of breath and chest pain that had
restricted his movement for the last few years. And although the
surgery was major, he was more concerned with results than with possi-

ble consequences.

Last Thursday, doctors at Vancouver General’s top notch open
heart surgical facility performed a triple bypass operation, a surgical
procedure that involves removing blocked arteries from the heart and
replacing them with new ones, usually veins taken from the leg. Several
hours later, Dusty was in intensive care, on his way to recovery.

There were a couple of minor complications but his daughter
Donalda tells us that doctors are satisfied with his progress and expect
him to be out of intensive care by the end of the week. Although he will
likely be able to receive visitors at that time, friends should check with

the family first.

5

Map shows hazardous goods shipments in Lower Mainla

Arms race
on agenda
January 25

Those active in the p
movement should be out in
force when Vancouver
council sits down Jan. 2
debate a motion from Com
tee of Progressive Elec
aldermen Bruce Yorke and
by Davies.

They are calling on coun:
urge the federal governmer
withdraw from further invc
ment in the arms race, base:
the wishes of Vancouver citi
who voted 80 percent for di
mament in the fall civic ¢

tions.

It will be the first item
business on the agenda of
regular council meeting wl
begins at 2 p.m.

_ Two peace groups, the Ph
cians for Social Responsib:
and the B.C. Peace Cour
have already indicated their
tention to address council on
motion,

Noting that Vancou

‘citizens voted overwhelmir

for “‘the balanced steps that
lead to the earliest poss
achievement”’ of world di:
mament, the COPE mot
proposes that Vancouver |
council:

@ Officially notify the pri
minister and the cabinet of
referendum results;

@ Urge that Canada .
become further involved

arms race projects;
@ Request a meeting with
four B.C. senators — J;

Austin, Ray Perrault,
Lawson and George van R
gen — “‘to express the desi
and concerns of Vancou
citizens on the growing dan
of nuclear annihilation.’’
Similar referendums receit

mass “‘yes’’ votes in more tt

100 Canadian cities in Ontar
Saskatchewan and B.C. |
fall. The question will also
put to voters in some B.
municipalities which did 1
have elections last year.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 21, 1983—Page 2

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