. FROM PAGE A1 had been called vy District council. The task force report, submitted to council last November, confirmed that the North Shore would be ill- equipped to deal with an emergency situation caused by a chemical spill - whether it occurred in transit or at one of the waterfront in- dustries. The Maplewood plant of Hooker was fingered as the most serious threat to the safety of people on the North Shore. Sheila Gordon, a member of the task force and chairman of the Chemical Hazards Alert Committee - a group of Maplewood residents formed specifically because of concerns over Hooker - said of the plant: “It was a mistake to put it there.” And she called upon Distmet council members to “correct that mistake” by relocaung Hooker. “The people of the North Shore are aot willing to pay for the chemical industry's profits with lives, however tew.” she insisted Fears that the community would be paralyzed by any major disaster were heightened by the recent emergency alert test carned by fire department of- ficials The federal government's out air sirens were set off in a simulated emergency situation They were sup posed to alert people to turn to radi of television for evacuation information, but many residents didnt hear the sirens District Mayor Don Bell said the results were “not very) promising “ Booklets describing emergency procedures will soon be distributed door to door, he said Comments were also tempered with skepticism. “Every night when I go home.... (there’s) a nagging fear that one day Ill be called at work (to find out)... that my wife and three children have been wiped out,” protested resident Robert Reid. Besides the fear there’s “an element of sadness and frustration” because Hooker will only move when it “bloody well” decides to, he said. And fears are fuelling the demand to remove Hooker, Mohawk Oil, ERCO In- dustries, Vancouver Wharves, and Dow Chemical Vancouver. from North Statistics relating to the probability of death in the case of a chemical spill were questioned. One _ resident pointed out that if 100 pounds of chlorine gas could kill 13 people, as stated in the task force report. then a railway car carrying thousands of pounds could take a severe toll on human lives. Railway cars can carry up to 90 tons of chlorine hquid with one ton being equivalent to 100 Ibs. “I'm wondering if the magnitude” of the statistics and probability factors is “as obvious” as it should be, the resident said. Yachico Yokota, spokes- person for the Maplewood School Association representing the 380 children attending the school near Hooker, told the meeting that the only answer “is tO remove the problem.” In case of emergency, authorilies have told parents not to pick their children up from school because it would cause traffic problems. But Yokota said that it might take up to 30 minutes before children could be evacuated by authorities. HARRISON GALLERIES Fine Art Dealer 2022 Park Royal. South Mall, Upper Level West Vancouver 926 2615 Nocth Coast Ronald Jackson . Other locabons 2932 Granville Street 667 Howe Street 732 5217 732 0911 683-0014, 681-2817 y ‘relo “It doesn't make any sense at all” to have a chemical production facility near a residential area, said Alec Ostry, a spokesman for SPEC (Society for Pollution and Environment Control). Ostry urged individuals and groups to put “political pressure” on governments to safeguard the public. Betty Griffin, representing the Committee for Fair Assessments, attacked the chemical companiesYor not contributing enough to the local economy through their property tax assessments. She said that while home- owners faced assessment increases up to 65 per cent, the companies were only assessed ten to 12 per cent more than last year. She urged council to turn Hooker’s 77 acres into a residential area. Providing housing would be of “much greater benefit.” she said. “One couldn't ever puta cost on human life.” One Maplewood resident complained that Hooker in at least one case did not notify authorities of a possible emergency. Decisions about the gravity of an_= accident “should not be left up to those people.... who will think they can handie it on their own. That's not fair to us.” he said, urging that provisions for Criminal charges should be devised for such cases. Among _ the report's recommendations are: * Stricter regulations governing the transportation of hazardous chemicals, deemed to be the greatest threatto pubhe safety ® Water transportation — be required to have radar and special clearance when approaching and travelling through the harbour Cargocs registered belore The above painting is available as a collector s LIMITED EDITION PRINT at our Galleries Signed. titled and numbered by the artist entering the area. © A freeze on the expansion of chemical facilities. ® Educate the public about emergency procedures and devise a comprehensive evacuation’ plan. * Create a safety board to monitor the industry, and advise council. ® Consult with = senior governments about ways to relocate Hooker. . To date, district council has introduced a number of measures as a result of the task force to relocate Hooker: ® A by-law amendment is being considered to prohibit new hazardous storage facilities on the North Shore. © An emergency procedures booklet is being drawn up. * A simulated emergency was conducted using sirens. But for many people at the meeting, the question most frequently asked was: What happens right now if there's an emergency? Distnct council's policy and planning committee will discuss the views expressed at the public meeting soon, said Mayor Bell. Then District will consider whether or not to adopt any of the recommendations of the task proup. A1l - Sunday News, July 19, 1981 TAKING HER FIGHT to Monday's public hearing, taxpayers’ champion Betty Griffin found pienty of support for her claim that waterfront industries such as Hooker Chemicals are undertaxed in comparison to homeowners. 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