6/09/2008

We're on...Case #49026-1

North Vancouver Courthouse this morning at 0930 hrs.

CN Rail is in court again this morning answering to environmental charges arriving from an August 2005 derailment that caused the death of over half a million fish in the Cheekamus River North of Squamish B.C. But what wasn't reported was the loss of countless other animals and birds. Birds such as the American Bald Eagle. This most majestic bird nests by the hundreds in this area. It would be very interesting to know just how many died as a result of this spill.

It is my understanding so far that when CN Rail took over our BC Rail suspicious things started to happen. Things like using prairie track in the mountainous areas of BC. A decrease in inspection of trucks (the wheels on the freight cars). Use of untrained personell for remote moving of locomotives in yards. And the biggest problem of all, the use of more cars in a train than allowed for, in these mountainous twisting areas.

It would be very interesting to know just what transpires in this case. Will the judge order a huge fine, or just slap their wrist? Will they be required to re-enhance the eco-system in the Cheekamus River Valley? Both would seem appropriate to me in this case.

So far I haven't been able to get any information from this case. The MSM is certainly not reporting much (if anything). So if anyone can get to the courthouse this morning we may be able to let others know what is going on here.

1 comment:

Whistleblowers BC said...

Following up on your comment on my blog, I'd advise the workers to keep good logs and copies of documents, e-mails etc. in a safe place away from home. There are many risks of blowing the whistle when corporate thugs are at the wheel. I don't know what union all of these folks belong to, is it Public Service Alliance, there is some federal Whistleblower language.

I don't know if workers have some sort of "duty to report" safety issues in the federal juris-diction, but I hope the union's are working with the Trans-portation Safety Board around some of this stuff. The Board is the one investigating, they know things are going very, very poorly.

I was at an event & some federal workers were talking about how everyone seems to be unclear about whether the WCB Act & regulations apply to federal employees. Too many damn places all of these people wriggle out of. Such a lack of accountability. Sometimes I feel like the world has been highjacked by these amoral Pod people, bent on making a buck any way they can, at anyone's expense. Don't any of these big corporate fascists have children? Do they think that just because they can afford private schools etc. that their kids won't deal with the ramifications of corporate greed, recklessness and irresponsibility? How much money is enough? I just don't get it.

I think all of us in the blogosphere have to start doing some outreach to the employees of places like CN, invite them to blow the whistle publically (anonymously of course & without defaming anyone).

Regime change isn't just for corporate and political fascists and revolution isn't just for communists. There are so many of "us" and so few of "them" there is a tipping point, we just have to find it and we will, by working together.