Streamside plants a dynamic focal point for landscape design sd Sright Lights : Celebratiens re Classifieds pe Crossword j Hame & Gardez +99 18 4 Pets nee 32 Tatking Personals °° 40 Travel ooo 30 North Store Free Press Lid Pudister Peter Spech WR8 Lonsdale Avenue Noth Vancouver BC YW CHS Canatuan: Pudhcatens Had Sales Promkxt Sgterrent tas 208/258 oe 48 Pages CXY spends millions on safety Anna Siarie D'Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.coni AFTER more than four years and a court chal- lenge to the Supreme Court of Canada, a North Vancouver District chlorine plant pleaded guiity om June 30 to polluting Burrard Ialet. XY Chemicals, which has been located at 100 Amherst Ave. in the Maplewood arca for 42 years, was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $45,000 to Environment Canada after a company representative pleaded guilry in North Vancouver provincial court to depositing harmful chlorine in fish-bearing Burrard Inlet. On Oct. 13, 1994, a 34hour power outage in the Seymour area result- ed in chlorine being released into water effluent discharged into Burrard Inlet from the plant. The power outage occurred after a tree hit two hydro lines. A number of fish were killed in the incident. The dead fish were picked up wsing the Harbour Master's patrol vessel. Environment Canada investigations head Gordon Thompson. said about 64 kgs of chlorine was discharged into the environment in a large volume of effluent. Speaking from his North Vancouver office, Thompson said CXY’s backup and monitoring systems failed during the power outage. CXY Chemicals manager John Billham said the company has spent about $4 million since the spill to prevent a similar occurrence. A holding tank, valve and backup generator have been installed. “In August, we will be able to totally divert our effluent from going into Burrard Inlet,” said Billham. He added that the plant had a waste permit to discharge one part per million of chlorine in water. Shortly after power was restored, the chlorine level was 10 parts per million. Billham said the $45,900 court order would go to fisheries research on the North Shore. North Vancouver provincial court Judge William Diebolt fined CXY hemicals for the Fisheries Act offence. Billham said the 1994 spill was the only incident of its kind to have occurred at the chlorine plantin the 1990s. Meanwhile Thompson said a court challenye relating to the broad scope of search warrants used in the pollution investigation resulted in a landmark decision from the Supreme Court of Canada. (See story an page “The ultimate ruling on the search warrants was an extremely impor- tant ruling favoring environmental investigators,” said Thompson. CXY was called CanadianO Industrial Chemicals Ltd. or CanadianOxy Chemicals Ltd. at the time of the offence. The company is in Jimited partnership with Canadian Occidental Petroleum in Calgary, which is the magority owner. The Vaice of Horth and West Vancouver since 1969 Home & gardenpis Great escapes p38 Classifieds feature helps vou plan vour getaway Gift ideas for the bride and groom Wedding Planner p23 FREE la ‘a NEWS photo Terry Peters Taxing fight RICHARD Kinar helped the Caulfeild elementary parents group raise $28,000 so that Connor (left), Mallory and friends would have playground equipment at school. He's fighting the fact that par- ents had to raise another $2,000 to pay PST on the donated schoo! equipment. See story page 5. Fe Me : M8 assracs Dike wee