NV) alderman chalienges the credibility of local RCIMP Gadsby calls for establishment of North Van police commission NORTH VANCOUVER District Ald. Joan Gadsby has challenged the credibili- ty of the North Vancouver detachment of the RCMP and charged it with ‘‘sloppy work” and a “‘coverup.’’ By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer Gadsby - made her allegations - during . Monday night’s council" debate of her. motion to examine the possibilities of establishing a North Vancouver police commis- sion. . 'Gadsby’s motion stated: @ “That the District of North Vancouver explore with the City of North Vancouver the setting up of a North Vancouver Police Commission similar to that of Richmond to oversee the opera- tions of the RCMP and to ensure direct accountability of the RCMP . "her concerns. to the district and the city and its residential taxpayers."’ : Gadsby told council that she has had ‘‘concerns over a number of years” with the accountability of the RCMP. ; She complained of: @ sloppy work, where matters have not been reported; @ limited reporting to councils; @ continuity in staffing; . @ meaningless statistics; . @ the overall credibility of the RCMP. But Ald. Ernie Crist, the district’s appointee to the Police Liaison Committee, which is .comprisec of the city and district Riayors, managers, appointed aldermen and police repre- -sentatives, denied outright that there was any coverup. “If there are any shortcomings it is incumbent upon any eiected Official to point it out to the committee,”’ Crist said. *“North Vancouver City) Ald. ‘Stella Jo Dean is an excellent chairman and as a member of this committee I have no reason to believe that there is anything that is not kosher.”’ _. Ald. Jim Cuthbert supported determining the cost of an enhanced liaison committee, but was told by North Vancouver NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL District municipal manager Mel Palmer that the Richmond police commission may be that in name only because it is based on the North Vancouver City model. Ald. Rick Buchois rejected any notion of political interference. “There is good reason for any police force not to be overly in- fluenced by the politicians of the day,”’ said Buchols. Buchols also challenged Gadsby’s motivation in tabling the motion for debate. Said Buchols, ‘‘Ald. Gadsby relates from personal experience that she is unhappy with the RCMP, but that is no reason to tear down the whole structure.” Gadsby reiterated that she had concerns regarding ‘‘timely, accu- rate reports” reaching council and that Dean, who she acknowledged was an excellent chairman, shared But Gadsby acknowledged a pe!sonal investment in ber motion whea she said, “My daughter was alu-cst killed by a police car that wa: speeding and there is (a) coverup on that.’ ROMP Supt. Bob Byam later declined any comment on. Gadstiy’s allegations, saving the issue had been settled in court. Ald. Paul Turner asked 2 number cf questions relating to the functioning cf the police liai- son committee and its awareness of accountability. Turner svid that his questions were based on the idea ‘that public accousitability is positive. Without the oublic’s full and en. thusiastic support the police ca..- ‘not function, or their job is that much harder.” Said Crist, “‘I am_ satisfied 100% that the police are account- able within the existing rules and regulations.’’ Mayor Murray Dyikeman said there are opportunities for meetings between public groups and the police liaison committee -to address procedure; he noted that the RCMP has its own pro- cess for citizen complaints and See Council page 8 North Van woman injured in Second Narrows crash A NORTH Vancouver woman was sent to Lions Gate Hospi- tal with back and hip injuries Thursday night after. being in- volved in a five-vehicle accident at the north end of the Second Narrows Bridge. The police are searching for two men who fled the scere of the accident. A spokesman for the Port Mann RCMP Highway Patrol said the multi-vehicle accident occurred at 6:35 p.m. A car driven by Della Mc- Connel of North Vancouver had run out of gas on the bridge. She had left her car parked in a flow lane with its flashers on. A second vehicle then came behind the McConnel car and stopped while waiting for traf- fic to pass before attempting to turn into a second lane. Twenty seconds later a third vehicle approached and stop- ped behind the second vehicle. It was followed by a fourth vehicie, which also stopped. “The fourth vehicle was then hit by great force by a black Camaro and the impact caused a box-car effect and sent all of the vehicles into the back of one another,’ said the RCMP spokesman. Sunday, November 3, 1991 - North Shore News - 3 NEWS photo Paul McGrath ENTERTAINER TIM Alguire interviews 2¥2-year-old Natasha Megahy at Capiiano Mall’s costume contest on Thursday evening. Merchants had treats for the youngsters decked out in their Hal- toween finery. North Shore police and fire departments reported a quiet Halloween night this year. A North Vancouver RCMP spokesman said complaints received were primarily about tlreworks and noise. The North Vancouver District Fire Department dealt with one minor Hal- loween-retated incident: a small hedge fire In Deep Cove caused by ‘ireworks. Harbor chemical spill more likely than oil spill, local meeting told NV public forum on tanker traffic safety A CHEMICAL tanker spill in Vancouver harbor is much _more likely than a crude-oil spill, a public meeting on port tanker safety was told Wednesday night in North Van- couver, : About 100 people attended the meeting at the North Shore Winter Club, which was called to discuss the findings of a report involving tanker-traffic risks in the port. The report was compiled by Vancouver-based Sandwell Inc. and focused on bulk liquid trans- portation in port waters east of Point Grey and Point Atkinson. Sandwell spokesnian Charlie Birt told the meeting that the highest number of crude-oil tanker calls in the port was 14 in 1988. He said the probability of a spill is one in 5,000 port calls. “It’s going to take a long time to build up to a point when a (crude-oil) spill can be expected,”’ said Birt. “Much more likely is a chemi- cal-tanker spill than a crude-oil spill (in Vancouver port).’* Vancouver port officials fielded a variety of questions during the meeting, some of which were left unresolved. “‘] work on a tug in Vancouver harbor and we are required to give clearance in the narrows to tankers. We are required to stop. Then 2s we are stopped, we look and there is a sailboat going straight down the narrows,’’ said North Vancouver resident Tom Howell. “Is there anything in your rec- ommendations that could do something about this?’? Howell asked. Vancouver Port Corp. (VPC) harbor master Capt. Richard 8 High Profiles BH Cocktails & Caviar By Anna Marie D’Angelo Contributing Writer Oliphant said, ‘‘No, [ don’: believe so.”” , The Sandwell Inc. report said bulk chemicals in the port were toxic and: some chemicals were flammable and explosive. But not all vessels transporting chemicals are equipped with inerting systems that remove oxygen from cargo areas to prevent explosions. Bulk chemicals would not be recoverable if spilled in port waters because most of the chemi- cals evaporate, sink or mix with water. “You can’t clean up a chemical spill,’* said Oliphant. ‘‘But whoever spills the oil, pays to clean it up.” According to the VPC, Van- couver had 139 tanker visits last yeas, including 10 tankers loaded with crude oil. The other cargoes included refined petroleum pro- ducts, liquid chemicals, grain oils, animal fats and tallow. Chemicals loaded at bulk liquid terminals by tankers or barges along the North Vancouver water- front include: @ methanol at Vancouver Wharves Ltd., located at the foot of Capilano Road; . @ ethylene glycol and ethylene dichloride at Dow Chemical Canada Inc., located west of Se- cond Narrows Bridge; . @ chlorine at Canadian Occiden- tal Petroleum Ltd., located east of the Second Narrows; ® Lifestyles 3 Vintage Years i What's Going On Second Class Registration Number 3885 @ sodium chlorate at Albright & Wilson Americas, focated east of Second Narrows. oo The port’s single crude-oil facil- ity is directiy across from North Vancouver District’s Cates Park on the Burnaby side cf Burrard Inlet. . Miner oil spills in the port have been contained with booms and cleaned up with ‘absorbent materi- als, according to the VPC. © In the event of a major oil spill, equipment from the jan Coast Guard and Burrard Clean — a North Shore-based private business specializing in oil spilt cleanups — would be used. : Depending on the size of the spill, more -cleanup equipment would be sought from’ ports in Washington state and elsewhere. But Birt said most of the tankers that load in the port leave their wing tanks empty and fill their centre tank for balance reasons. He said the empty wing tanks could be viewed as a protective feature against an oil spill if a loaded vessel was damaged in a collision. Making double-hulled tankers mandatory for Vancouver’s port was not considered practical by Vancouver port officials, who noted that almost all the world’s fleet was presently single-hulled. Vancouver port officials will produce another report in January which is expected to inciude in- formation about a disaster con- tingency plan involving the port authority and all municipalities bordering on port waters. Besides North Vancouver, tanker safety pubiic meetings have been held in Burnaby, Port Moody and Vancouver. Weather Monday and Tuesday, rain. Highs 11°C, lows 5°C.