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PLAN STILL IN DRAFT FORM

Railroad accidents involving hazardous chemicals are on the increase in North Vancouver, with 13 mishaps since 1980, six of which involved cars of highly toxic chlorine. And despite assurances by industry of safe han- dling practices, two-thirds of inspections to Canadian National and CP Rail railcars carrying dangerous products revealed safety violations and

car defects in the region last year.

This second story in a two-part series investigates whether North Shore residents are protected from a potential rail disaster.

MISSISSAUGA — with its propane railcar explosions; punctured chlorine car leak and a quarter of a million peo- ple evacuated — shocked North Shore residents into ques- tioning their own acceptance of dangerous commodities

here.

Jeff Jefferd, head of North and West Vancouver Emergency Pro- gram, recalled how the three local councils in 1980 demanded indi- vidual emergency plans ‘‘sooner than soon.”’ It was also agreed that

' one overall plan was needed should

a. major disaster affect all three

-municipalities.

But seven years later the North Shore Disaster Plan is still in its draft form, and no central agency exists to coordinate emergency crews. ‘

The disaster plan deals with both

“industrial and natural disasters.

Sheila Gordon, spokesman for North Vancouver’s. Community

' Hazards Alert Committee, believes

the North Shore should place more emphasis on preparing for a chem- ical spill since chemical -manufac- turing is the primary industry here. CHAC formed after Mississauga’ 's rail disaster to lobby against the manufacturing and transporting of hazardous chemi- cals locally. At its height, CHAC.

had a membership of over 500. .

Today there are about two dozen people, who Gordon described as being burnt-out by the issue.

The group no longer calls for the removal of the area’s one chlorine manufacturing plant — Canadian Occidental Petroleum Limited, near the north end of Second Nar- rows Bridge. Instead, it believes councils should direct their energies toward ensuring danger- ous goods are transported safely, and that the North Shore is prepared for a major chemical spill.

This view is shared by the Ca- nadian Transport Commission Railroad Transport Committee,

P&T shopping prop

By KIM PEMBERTON News Reporter

who in 1985, said it was ‘‘deeply concerned that local authorities do not appear to have accomplished much in planning for transporta-

_tion of dangerous goods and for

emergencies which might occur in the event of serious accidents.’ Although $3,000 railcars of dangerous goods, including 600 chlorine cars, annually travel on

North Shore tracks, to one central agency exists on the North Shore or in the province to coordinate local emergency crews.

“Disaster preparedness is like trying to sell someone an insurance policy,’ said chief training officer Grant Bott, of the West Vancouver District Fire Department.

“The whole concept of hazard- ous fhaterials is quite fragmented. It would appear each municipal jurisdiction has identified its own responsibility towards hazardous material incidents and it really sits

A REVAMPED development plan for North Van- couver’s Park and Tilford site cleared the initial hurdle Monday, but faltered when city council refused to agree to an accelerated rezoning process that would see the

project approved by September.

Outlined in a lengthy pres- entation Monday, the latest pro- posal for the 30-acre property in- cludes a $25-million shopping centre and a $20-million film studio.

Architect Clive .Grout told council the BCE . Development Corp. shopping centre plan in- cludes a 70,000-square- foot Save-On-Foods “outlet, a 30,000- square-foot six-screen Cineplex Odeon cinema and 68,000 square feet of smal! retail units.

By STEPHEN BARRINGTO News Reporter

The 1I5-acre film facility, pro- posed by Cannell Studios and to be called North Shore Studios, would include six sound stages, support facilities and offices.

Cannell’s studio completes the Park and Tilford development package and gives the project an industrial user, a point of con- tention among council members.

Cannell Studios president

3 ~ Wednesday, April 29, 1987 - North Shore News

NEWS photo Tsity Peters

EMERGENCY CREWS struggle to right a car of highly toxic chlorine gas, which derailed in North Vancouver after a yard switch was vandalized in 1982. Since 1980 accidents involving dangerous chemicals have more than doubled here, but the North Shore has yet to implement a local disaster plan or coordinate its emergency teams

in the event of a major chemical spill.

there. There’s no comprehensive pian,”’ he said.

North Vancouver District Fire Chief Archie Stacey agreed: ‘“‘One cohesive emergency group is need- ed now more than ever before’ on the North Shore.

“*We’re not communities sepa- rated by a couple of miles, we're side-by-side, with the railroads running right through," he said. “If there is ever a major problem we’re all going to have to react to the problem, and it’s obvious in my mind there must be a singular plan.”’

Jefferd said he will be ap- proaching the local councils this year to ask that each sign a mutual aid agreement, an added precau-

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tion to ensure everyone will work together in the event of a major mishap. And ‘he said’ the draft form of the Norih Shore Disaster Plan should be tested this summer in a paper exercise by emergency personnel.

But Gordon said she would like to see a full-scale, mock evacua- tion, so that residents will know what to do if a Mississauga were to happen here,

“*T realize it’s quite an undertak- ing, but some sunny Saturday there ought to be a_ practice

Michael Dubelko said the firm looked at ‘'20 or 30 sites before we convinced ourselves this (North Vancouver) is where we should be.”

But despite urging from Can- nell fawyer Stu Wells, council balked at supporting the sugges- tion that the city look into giving the new facility tax breaks.

City taxes on the film studio would come to about $500,000 a year, a figure ‘‘far beyond con- templation of either the vendor or purchaser,’’ Wells said.

With estimated revenue of $2 million, Dubelko said the $500,000 tax bill is unacceptable. “We cannot afford to pay 25 per cent of (revenue) in taxes.”

evacuation, especially for the peo- ple living in that area (of Canadian Occidental)."’

She added: ‘‘We have it worse here than Mississauga. We don’t have a nice flat topography — we're fenced in.”” ~

Jefferd doesn’t believe a practice evacuation involving the entire community is viable.

“To try and do it full scale becomes too mind-boggling and costly. [t's worse than the real thing because you're using al) the emergency response people, who will still have to be on ship. Also an industry in operation won't shut down for a test evacuation. It would cost them a fortune.’”

He agreed with Gordon that the

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evacuation of Mississauga was easier than if such a disaster hap- pened locally because ‘there are fewer exit routes. ;

And: if the derailment were to happen near Canadian Occidental, the Second Narrows Bridge would be closed, he said. The bridge was closed nine months ago during an evacuation, lasting half-an-hour, after a railcar spilc 14,000 gallons of caustic soda.

Since 1985, CN Railways and BC Rail — the only local rail car- riers of dangerous goods — have

Despite Cannell’s $100 million worth of television productions last year, all company facilities are to be financially se!f-suffi- cient, Dubelko stressed.

The accelerated development application process proposed by BCED was labelled as ‘‘pushy’’ by some aldermen who said the

provided fire departments with a monthly traffic volume count of such materials,

The municipalities requested this information in order to plan for emergency response crews, Chemi- cal producers and rail shippers of dangerous goods said their workers are also trained for handling emergencies, and will act a5 resource people. (In 1985, the Ca- nadian Transport Commission, which regulates rail safety, demanded shippers and producers of dangerous goods tc have emergency crews available to deal with chemical spills).

Terry Litchfield, manager of transportation and distribution at Canadian Occidental, said the company has had an active team in place since Mississauga. He added all workers in contact with haz- ardous goods are trained under a program called SALT (Safe and Legal Transportation).

And to better inform the public, he said, the company initiated a program cailed CAER (Communi- ty Awareness and Emergency Response). It was under the CAER program, Canadian Occidental last year paid for the printing of public pamphlets detailing. what to do in the event of a chemical spill.

“I'm not a lover of ‘regulations, but when you look at the Trans- portation Act it’s an act to pro- mote public safety,’? said Lit- chfield.

“T agree with that philosophy that the public has the ight to be protected from accidents.”’

But without: one coordinating agency to oversee these emergency crews, Gordon believes a; major disaster here would create chacs.

“People are going to need a lot more than one emergency pam- phlet. Some day we’re going. to have a Mississauga —‘a propane car explode’ and there will be some lives lost. I just don’t know how many,"’ she said.

sal clears first hurdle

presented to the city’s advisory planning commission May -J3.

Development officials said they hope the film studio could be open in June next year with the shopping centre scheduled to | open in October next year.

But the ‘Park and Tilford development proposal still has to

NV ALD. TAYLOR BLASTS BCED: SEE STORY PAGE 5

move would pressure city staff.

Ald. Elko Kroon, the deciding vote on the issue, said the new proposal met with ‘his industrial use requirement, but stressed details had to be discussed.

Plans for the revamped Park and Tilford proposal are to be

go through a host of bylaw readings and at least one public hearing before fina! approval.

Staff will report to council May 4 on the feasibility of Can- nell’s suggested tax breaks and the proposed BCED accelerated development application process.

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