I think most people in BC if not Canada know of Harvey Oberfeld. Back in the day when I watched TV Harvey was a reporter for the CTV network. I don't remember seeing him anywhere else. But he was good. Always asking the right questions, he seemed to know what was on the common peoples' mind.
Well HO has retired now but he now runs a blog . Now you might wonder why I am writing about a fellow retiree. Well here's the thing. Harvey, being a former reporter has the knowledge of the workings of the Mainstream Media. You know. That news place that in BC is about 90% owned by Global and Can West. Or Can West and Global or whatever. He knows what questions should be asked. And he sees the problems today.
Now it seems that Harvey has taken the MSM to task over (I allege) their blatant Bias use of the Electronic and print media. Biased in that they will give free air time to Premier Campbell in the midst of the Newscast but not give the opposition equal time and space to rebut.
Not only that but the Bill Good Show dedicated 6 hours (an extended show) basiclly to Campbell economic statements. Good mentions Harveys misgivings and immediately attacks the messenger.
Not only did Campbell manupilate the Corporate media, he used the Legislature Broadcast system to get his message out. Now, this may seem wrong, but they claim to have done that to cover the message on the cable networks. Fair enough. In Paul Willcocks blog Paul is reporting that Ms James will get equal time to discuss the economy. Fair enough again but the house speaker had no choice but to allow this after granting Campbell the air time.
So in Pauls' blog I asked what about the MSM? When will she get equal time and space there?
Then I read Harveys blog and saw what he has to say on this farce. I was so impressed that I had to write something here. If for no other reason than to point the few observers to Harveys' blog. It is a must read for those of you who feel we are being manipulated by the Manistream Media in this country. I certainly do.
10/26/2008
10/23/2008
Legislature Recalled For Nov. 20,2008
The sitting premier in the province of British Columbia manipulated the news media on Wednesday in the province to get free air time for some election stumping. Initially BCTV was not biting but when it came down to the wire they devoted at least 12 minutes to this free pre-election boondoggle. CBC was the only network to cover it only after they could get some answers.
Among other things he announced they would reduce Ferry Fares for December and January. As it turned out this move was totally unknown to the CEO of the now privatized Ferry system. So why would the Premier do that?
Well the spin doctors have been working overtime all day with every excuse in the book. But I allege that this move was only the biggest sham of the governments campaign kickoff.
So now we come to the title of this piece. Legislature recall for November 20, 2008. A recall that would have been totally unnecessary had this premier had a fall session to answer the many questions that we have for him. I am asking "why is he waiting a month?" But this sitting premier appears (in this instance) to be no fool.
Timing is everything. First, there will be a months grace in which he hopes that the smoke will clear. He's so out of touch that he doesn't realize that we the electorate are past being pissed off totally with him. They are absolutely outraged.
Second: the recall as far as I can see will only give them five days to mull over this farce. No time again to bring in proper legislation. And I will say it here now. He will invoke closure to ram it through.
Third and most important. Given the fact that the BC Ferries CEO was shut out of a process of government interference in a Private company, this was nothing but another political grandstand photo-op by this premier. Just for example, look how Ontario handled their take on what was going on in this country and around the world. The Ontario Finance Minister stood in the Legislature and delivered the bad news. Not the premier. It is the job of the provincial and federal finance ministers to deliver this news. And when they deliver it they have done their homework and give specifics not generalities like this premier.
So, the month delay, I allege is for all the pertinent ministers to scramble, make sense, and give us specifics.
No wonder he gave them big raises. But given the way he is running things I can't for the life of me figure out why he gave himself one.
Among other things he announced they would reduce Ferry Fares for December and January. As it turned out this move was totally unknown to the CEO of the now privatized Ferry system. So why would the Premier do that?
Well the spin doctors have been working overtime all day with every excuse in the book. But I allege that this move was only the biggest sham of the governments campaign kickoff.
So now we come to the title of this piece. Legislature recall for November 20, 2008. A recall that would have been totally unnecessary had this premier had a fall session to answer the many questions that we have for him. I am asking "why is he waiting a month?" But this sitting premier appears (in this instance) to be no fool.
Timing is everything. First, there will be a months grace in which he hopes that the smoke will clear. He's so out of touch that he doesn't realize that we the electorate are past being pissed off totally with him. They are absolutely outraged.
Second: the recall as far as I can see will only give them five days to mull over this farce. No time again to bring in proper legislation. And I will say it here now. He will invoke closure to ram it through.
Third and most important. Given the fact that the BC Ferries CEO was shut out of a process of government interference in a Private company, this was nothing but another political grandstand photo-op by this premier. Just for example, look how Ontario handled their take on what was going on in this country and around the world. The Ontario Finance Minister stood in the Legislature and delivered the bad news. Not the premier. It is the job of the provincial and federal finance ministers to deliver this news. And when they deliver it they have done their homework and give specifics not generalities like this premier.
So, the month delay, I allege is for all the pertinent ministers to scramble, make sense, and give us specifics.
No wonder he gave them big raises. But given the way he is running things I can't for the life of me figure out why he gave himself one.
10/17/2008
Okay,we're back
No thanks to Telus
Most people don't know that I live in a semi-remote area of BC. And in doing so, I have given up some of the things that people in more populated areas such as Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George or other urban centers take for granted.
One thing has been Television. I haven't missed it. Another is Newspapers on a daily basis. I haven't missed that either.
Until this year I have been getting my water from a cistern. Rainwater. And it actually tastes better than any I ever consumed in the city or the burbs. I also use an outhouse and have wood heat.
But recently (in May) I was given the greatest gift I could think of in my (early) retirement. A Daughter.
I have another family which is all grown up and in raising them I went wrong somewhere. Two of the three grown children have gone horribly astray. I tried everything I could think of to prevent what I saw happening short of locking them up, to no avail.
So now I have been given another chance. And in doing so I found that some profound changes must occur in my daily workings. One of those changes is to increase my living space . But as winter approaches construction has stalled and we have had to move into other digs for the next 6 months. Did I mention that the area where I live is as high as the top of Grouse Mountain? And being away from the heat generated by the city we get considerably more snow. Three to five feet every year.
Another of those things is cabled internet such as Shaw or Rogers. Very fast. We don't have cable out here. We do have Wireless, but on a fixed income the cost is prohibitive. So my only option available to keep in touch with what is going on in the outside world is the internet. Through Telus. Or in other words using the phone line. The dreaded dial-up.
And I blame Telus for the incompetence in not having the phone at the new digs set up in a timely manner.
You must understand that living in a remote area you can't just call them up and have the phone put in today. Even if all they do is throw a switch. So while they were setting up the new line somebody screwed up.
A line was connected but this phone wasn't. Apparently the lines were crossed and it kept going to somebody elses answering machine. Which I found out later was a line that was apparently left open while they tried to chase the guy down for non-payment of his bill. Guess they were trying to pad the bill.
So the bride stays home all day the day the phone was to be set up. Nothing. I phoned from the construction site and from the in-laws. Kept going into this guys voice mail. Then when I get home the bride informs me that a Telus bucket truck (the one they use to repair overhead problems instead of the old fashioned way of getting exercise by climbing the pole) pulls into the driveway. The bride sees them and motions them to come to the door. She's feeding a four month old child and won't leave her. They sit there for a couple of minutes smiling while she is motioning them to come to the door. When all of a sudden they start the truck and pull out of the driveway. Gone.
So we phone the Telus Customer Service line to find out what is going on. They bucket truck it seems are not the ones who throw the switch. And I assume they don't have, or are not allowed to have any contact with the customer. All this after waiting a week for the phone to be set up. We were told that they only come to this area ONCE a week on Thursday. Okay, but we still don't have a phone that they indicated we would have that day and we have a baby that has Medical appointments. Sorry, but the next available day is in one week on Thursday.
Now I would probably have accepted this and not have written about it if it were not for one small discrepancy. I have found out they are scheduled for this area TWICE a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. So in the largest communications company in Canada they are NOT COMMUNICATING neither with their customers nor with themselves.
Their are other things wrong here, none of which alters the nature of the complaint, but I will go into them with Telus and the CRTC. I am involving the CRTC because if they are notified then Telus will have to acknowledge the complaint. Even if they deny any wrongdoing.
I'm quite sure that if I had had a lack of communication like this in my working days, my career would have been shortened considerably. But being a little more laid back after 4 years of retirement I don't want someones job. What I do want is for the Communications company to communicate.
Most people don't know that I live in a semi-remote area of BC. And in doing so, I have given up some of the things that people in more populated areas such as Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George or other urban centers take for granted.
One thing has been Television. I haven't missed it. Another is Newspapers on a daily basis. I haven't missed that either.
Until this year I have been getting my water from a cistern. Rainwater. And it actually tastes better than any I ever consumed in the city or the burbs. I also use an outhouse and have wood heat.
But recently (in May) I was given the greatest gift I could think of in my (early) retirement. A Daughter.
I have another family which is all grown up and in raising them I went wrong somewhere. Two of the three grown children have gone horribly astray. I tried everything I could think of to prevent what I saw happening short of locking them up, to no avail.
So now I have been given another chance. And in doing so I found that some profound changes must occur in my daily workings. One of those changes is to increase my living space . But as winter approaches construction has stalled and we have had to move into other digs for the next 6 months. Did I mention that the area where I live is as high as the top of Grouse Mountain? And being away from the heat generated by the city we get considerably more snow. Three to five feet every year.
Another of those things is cabled internet such as Shaw or Rogers. Very fast. We don't have cable out here. We do have Wireless, but on a fixed income the cost is prohibitive. So my only option available to keep in touch with what is going on in the outside world is the internet. Through Telus. Or in other words using the phone line. The dreaded dial-up.
And I blame Telus for the incompetence in not having the phone at the new digs set up in a timely manner.
You must understand that living in a remote area you can't just call them up and have the phone put in today. Even if all they do is throw a switch. So while they were setting up the new line somebody screwed up.
A line was connected but this phone wasn't. Apparently the lines were crossed and it kept going to somebody elses answering machine. Which I found out later was a line that was apparently left open while they tried to chase the guy down for non-payment of his bill. Guess they were trying to pad the bill.
So the bride stays home all day the day the phone was to be set up. Nothing. I phoned from the construction site and from the in-laws. Kept going into this guys voice mail. Then when I get home the bride informs me that a Telus bucket truck (the one they use to repair overhead problems instead of the old fashioned way of getting exercise by climbing the pole) pulls into the driveway. The bride sees them and motions them to come to the door. She's feeding a four month old child and won't leave her. They sit there for a couple of minutes smiling while she is motioning them to come to the door. When all of a sudden they start the truck and pull out of the driveway. Gone.
So we phone the Telus Customer Service line to find out what is going on. They bucket truck it seems are not the ones who throw the switch. And I assume they don't have, or are not allowed to have any contact with the customer. All this after waiting a week for the phone to be set up. We were told that they only come to this area ONCE a week on Thursday. Okay, but we still don't have a phone that they indicated we would have that day and we have a baby that has Medical appointments. Sorry, but the next available day is in one week on Thursday.
Now I would probably have accepted this and not have written about it if it were not for one small discrepancy. I have found out they are scheduled for this area TWICE a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. So in the largest communications company in Canada they are NOT COMMUNICATING neither with their customers nor with themselves.
Their are other things wrong here, none of which alters the nature of the complaint, but I will go into them with Telus and the CRTC. I am involving the CRTC because if they are notified then Telus will have to acknowledge the complaint. Even if they deny any wrongdoing.
I'm quite sure that if I had had a lack of communication like this in my working days, my career would have been shortened considerably. But being a little more laid back after 4 years of retirement I don't want someones job. What I do want is for the Communications company to communicate.
10/13/2008
Get Out and Vote October 14 in Canada
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
You, the citizens of this country are the ones who will determine which party will lead us for the next few years. You are the ones who vote. All the Millions of (now Shrinking) dollars supplied to the Conservative or Liberal parties will not determine the outcome. Only your vote will count in the end.
Who are you going to vote for? It's your decision but weigh the facts. And the biggest fact is that Harper has not given us one shred of evidence that he will help you and I. He has been dodging questions from the western media. His party is consistantly a no-show in the all party forums. And if you read Harv Oberfeld's blog at Keeping it real, you will see just how bad this man is at communicating his with media.
Harvey also suggests that you might vote for the party that has the best chance at defeating the Harper dictatorship. Not a bad Idea. The party in my riding that can do this is the one I would vote for anyway.
But whomever you vote for it's your decision. It's your life.
Comments may be a day or so late due to the mess that Telus is in. More on that on or after the 16th. If they ever get their crap together.
You, the citizens of this country are the ones who will determine which party will lead us for the next few years. You are the ones who vote. All the Millions of (now Shrinking) dollars supplied to the Conservative or Liberal parties will not determine the outcome. Only your vote will count in the end.
Who are you going to vote for? It's your decision but weigh the facts. And the biggest fact is that Harper has not given us one shred of evidence that he will help you and I. He has been dodging questions from the western media. His party is consistantly a no-show in the all party forums. And if you read Harv Oberfeld's blog at Keeping it real, you will see just how bad this man is at communicating his with media.
Harvey also suggests that you might vote for the party that has the best chance at defeating the Harper dictatorship. Not a bad Idea. The party in my riding that can do this is the one I would vote for anyway.
But whomever you vote for it's your decision. It's your life.
Comments may be a day or so late due to the mess that Telus is in. More on that on or after the 16th. If they ever get their crap together.
9/21/2008
Farmed Salmon or Cheakamus River Toxic Spill?
Sea lice killing B.C. wild salmon
D.C. Reid
Times Colonist
Thursday, September 18, 2008
So you thought fish farm sea lice problems were restricted to pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago? Not so. In fact, the problem is vastly worse than we have been told. New studies from the U.S.A., Canada and Norway indicate lice and the diseases they carry are killing all five salmon species in B.C. and also herring.
You may recall Alexandra Morton was the biologist who set off alarm bells that fish farm sea lice resulted in a healthy 150,000 annual pink run from the Broughton Archipelago being reduced to virtually nothing. She is now in court trying to get the memorandum of understanding that DFO signed with the province to carry the can declared as invalid, and thus that DFO will have to step in -- if they lose -- and we have to wait many years for them to clean up the industry.
Morton's new research has begun to reveal that the lice and disease problem is huge in B.C. Her research indicates that sockeye smolts migrating up Johnstone Strait from the Fraser River have been infected with lethal numbers of infected lice as they swim through the Campbell River area. Little wonder this year's run of Fraser sockeye was one of the poorest on record -- and the problem will continue unless we do something.
[snip....]
............, fish farms attract fry with a sheen of fish chow and lights at night. Young coho eat the weakened salmon fry and become infected themselves.
From 2001 to 2003, 12,000,000 farmed Atlantic salmon died in B.C. from the infectious haematopoietic necrosis epidemic. The first problem was more than 15 years ago in B.C. Even Canada's highly regarded -- and DFO's own scientist -- Dick Beamish, has published research showing that when Atlantic salmon are removed wild salmon smolts thrive.
So what could be worse?
CN Derailment in the Cheakamus River Kills Half Million Salmon and Trout
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigated this occurrence for the purpose of advancing transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
Railway Investigation ReportDerailmentCanadian NationalFreight Train A47151-05Mile 56.6, Squamish SubdivisionGaribaldi, British Columbia 05 August 2005
Report Number R05V0141
One of the findings in this disasterous spill is as follows:
TSB and the Cheekamus River Spill: Although Canadian National (CN) had prepared a Safety Integration Plan and provided informal training in DP setup and operations. However, in the absence of a formal risk assessment, CN resumed long DP train operations without adequate consideration of the value of retaining and using local knowledge and experience in the operation of long DP trains. This resulted in a lack of training and proper supervision that contributed to this derailment.
Synopsis:
A47151-05, proceeding northward from Squamish to Lillooet, British Columbia, derailed nine cars including one load of sodium hydroxide (UN 1824), also known as caustic soda, and eight empty cars at Mile 56.6 of the Squamish Subdivision near Garibaldi, British Columbia. Approximately 40 000 litres of the caustic soda spilled into the Cheakamus River, causing extensive environmental damage. There were no injuries.
[snip....]
3.3 Other Findings
This occurrence was the first of four similar derailments involving long, empty DP trains that occurred on the Squamish Subdivision between 05 August and 05 December 2005. While circumstances differed, the common feature of all four derailments was derailed trains stringlined to the low rail, or inside of sharp curves. The stringlining occurred due to high lateral forces creating a high L/V ratio, wheel lift and derailment.
The multi-agency response to the incident was well coordinated and effective.
© Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada 2007 Cat. No. TU3-6/05-2E ISBN 978-0-662-46259-0
CN Rail case #49026 is back in North Vancouver Procincial Court September 24th to answer to Environmental charges as a result of this spill.
D.C. Reid
Times Colonist
Thursday, September 18, 2008
So you thought fish farm sea lice problems were restricted to pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago? Not so. In fact, the problem is vastly worse than we have been told. New studies from the U.S.A., Canada and Norway indicate lice and the diseases they carry are killing all five salmon species in B.C. and also herring.
You may recall Alexandra Morton was the biologist who set off alarm bells that fish farm sea lice resulted in a healthy 150,000 annual pink run from the Broughton Archipelago being reduced to virtually nothing. She is now in court trying to get the memorandum of understanding that DFO signed with the province to carry the can declared as invalid, and thus that DFO will have to step in -- if they lose -- and we have to wait many years for them to clean up the industry.
Morton's new research has begun to reveal that the lice and disease problem is huge in B.C. Her research indicates that sockeye smolts migrating up Johnstone Strait from the Fraser River have been infected with lethal numbers of infected lice as they swim through the Campbell River area. Little wonder this year's run of Fraser sockeye was one of the poorest on record -- and the problem will continue unless we do something.
[snip....]
............, fish farms attract fry with a sheen of fish chow and lights at night. Young coho eat the weakened salmon fry and become infected themselves.
From 2001 to 2003, 12,000,000 farmed Atlantic salmon died in B.C. from the infectious haematopoietic necrosis epidemic. The first problem was more than 15 years ago in B.C. Even Canada's highly regarded -- and DFO's own scientist -- Dick Beamish, has published research showing that when Atlantic salmon are removed wild salmon smolts thrive.
So what could be worse?
CN Derailment in the Cheakamus River Kills Half Million Salmon and Trout
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigated this occurrence for the purpose of advancing transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
Railway Investigation ReportDerailmentCanadian NationalFreight Train A47151-05Mile 56.6, Squamish SubdivisionGaribaldi, British Columbia 05 August 2005
Report Number R05V0141
One of the findings in this disasterous spill is as follows:
TSB and the Cheekamus River Spill: Although Canadian National (CN) had prepared a Safety Integration Plan and provided informal training in DP setup and operations. However, in the absence of a formal risk assessment, CN resumed long DP train operations without adequate consideration of the value of retaining and using local knowledge and experience in the operation of long DP trains. This resulted in a lack of training and proper supervision that contributed to this derailment.
Synopsis:
A47151-05, proceeding northward from Squamish to Lillooet, British Columbia, derailed nine cars including one load of sodium hydroxide (UN 1824), also known as caustic soda, and eight empty cars at Mile 56.6 of the Squamish Subdivision near Garibaldi, British Columbia. Approximately 40 000 litres of the caustic soda spilled into the Cheakamus River, causing extensive environmental damage. There were no injuries.
[snip....]
3.3 Other Findings
This occurrence was the first of four similar derailments involving long, empty DP trains that occurred on the Squamish Subdivision between 05 August and 05 December 2005. While circumstances differed, the common feature of all four derailments was derailed trains stringlined to the low rail, or inside of sharp curves. The stringlining occurred due to high lateral forces creating a high L/V ratio, wheel lift and derailment.
The multi-agency response to the incident was well coordinated and effective.
© Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada 2007 Cat. No. TU3-6/05-2E ISBN 978-0-662-46259-0
CN Rail case #49026 is back in North Vancouver Procincial Court September 24th to answer to Environmental charges as a result of this spill.
9/18/2008
TSB and the Cheekamus River Spill
From Hansard
PRIVATIZATION AND VIABILITYOF B.C. RAIL
J. MacPhail: Let me put on record a letter from Ron East, a well-known Liberal activist in Prince George. I quote from him: "Mr. Premier, you promised you would not sell B.C. Rail, and we voted for you because we believed in you. No sooner were you elected than you started your campaign to deceive us into believing our rail company is a money-loser. Shame on you."Can the Minister of Transportation tell us why her party's own supporters are saying her government is deceiving them into believing B.C. Rail is a money-loser?
Hon. J. Reid: B.C. Rail is a vital transportation service for the north of this province. It's vital for the industries that are served by it. Transportation is one of their highest costs. We have industries from the north who take their product and put it on trucks and ship it into other provinces to put on rail. We have industries in the north of this province which have been saying that the service isn't sufficient for B.C. Rail because the cars aren't available. We have industries in the north of this province which have been complaining for many, many years that the operations of B.C. Rail are hindering their ability to be competitive.We've listened to that; we've listened to the communities that have concerns about the sustainability. We have looked at the public good that needs to be protected, which is the continued public ownership of the track, of the right-of-way and of the railbed, and we are looking for an operating partner for sustainability for long-term good for the communities and the industries of the north
Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplementary question.
J. MacPhail: One has to listen very carefully to the new message box. It's true; the Minister of Transportation today didn't call it a money-loser. She's challenging their competitiveness, though.I guess the minister hasn't seen the new document. Let me just tell the minister about this. She can say anything her spin doctors tell her to, but what they're doing is privatizing a B.C. Rail company that not only is profitable but is highly competitive.The opposition today, just this morning, obtained brand-new…
[snip]J. MacPhail: …internal B.C. Rail documents…
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Order, please, hon. members. Let us hear the question.
J. MacPhail: …showing the year-to-date financial results for B.C. Rail. The new report says that the profit margins for regional carriers remain above Canadian National, Canadian Pacific and any other class of railways, with B.C. Rail being the highest in the industry for their quarter profits and their year-to-date profits.Again to the Minister of Transportation: why is she saying that B.C. Rail is not competitive and is not efficient when, indeed, they have the highest productivity rate amongst all rail lines and they are the first rail line to have an operating margin of below 70 percent — better than any other rail company in North America? Why is she not telling that aspect of a rail line?
Hon. J. Reid: I'm very pleased the member has been able to recognize that under this government's leadership, B.C. Rail has taken a very aggressive approach on the freight rail side. We have concentrated on that part of the operation to cut the bleeding that was taking place. That was very difficult. There are still opportunities.I was in Prince George on Friday this past week, and at that time the people were saying that this needs to be sustainable in the long term. They said: "You know, we've got double shifts on the mills here. This isn't going to last. We have to make sure, with the variable trends in the forest industry and without the coal production for B.C. Rail, that we have sustainability in the long term." For that reason we're looking at the long-term picture, and we're going to make sure there is an operator there who's going to be able to run that operation for the long term.
J. MacPhail: Well, isn't the bar shifting every single time this minister's confronted with a new report about how well B.C. Rail is doing. We now know it's profitable; we now know it's competitive. She stands up with this new information and says: "Oh, but we're worried we can't sustain it." What do they do? What does this government do? A profitable, competitive publicly owned railway — and she wants to sell it off.We know that's not in her message box. According to this report that we've obtained just this morning…
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Order, please
J. MacPhail: …B.C. Rail has the highest profit margin of all regional carriers. In this year's third quarter alone B.C. Rail made a $21 million profit, and that's in American funds. In fact, they've got the highest year-to-date profits of any rail line.If the minister pushes ahead with her plans to sell B.C. Rail, British Columbians are going to lose a company that is making big profits and that is completely and most competitive. Again to the minister: given all this good news about B.C. Rail, why is she breaking a promise and selling one of North America's best-performing rail companies? Why is she breaking the promise?
Hon. J. Reid: It is a fact that B.C. Rail has a debt of over $500 million. It is a fact that that is part of….
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Hon. J. Reid: If this member understood business, if this member understood how to read a balance sheet, if this member understood….Interjections.Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Order, hon. members. Let us hear the answer.
Hon. J. Reid: If this member understood the necessity of being able to sustain and what that means, and what investment is required….
Interjection.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Hon. J. Reid: If this member understood anything about the economy of the north and what's going on in the forest industry right now, this member would understand what sustainability means in the long term. Taking on an operating partner for B.C. Rail is the very best move to provide that sustainability, to make sure that cars are available, to change technologies to just-in-time delivery. Once again this member thinks that government is better at running businesses, but I would suggest the customers and communities will be better served by the operating partner.
At the end of Joy MacPhail's question in Question Period the minister said the following:
Hon. J. Reid: If this member understood anything about the economy of the north and what's going on in the forest industry right now, this member would understand what sustainability means in the long term. Taking on an operating partner for B.C. Rail is the very best move to provide that sustainability, to make sure
[ Page 7721 ] that cars are available, to change technologies to just-in-time delivery. Once again this member thinks that government is better at running businesses, but I would suggest the customers and communities will be better served by the operating partner.
So they give away our railway and then CN, I guess, institutes the just- in- time delivery technology. They increase the length of the trains on the BC Rail line and increase speed. There are some people that worked on this railway who should have either been listened to or consulted. They were not. The result of this ignoring long term employees who were in the know resulted in some disasterous and some not so disasterous derailments along this BC Rail line.
The most disasterous, I alledge, was the derailment in the Cheakamus River at the bridge which spilled thousands (best estimates were 43,000 litres)of gallons of toxic chemicals into the river causing the death of more than a half million salmon, Eagles that feed on them, and a host of other animals and birds in the watershed. Including 2 seals downstream at the Mamquam Channel, As well as the plantlife in the riverbed. That plantlife was wiped out 100%. The TSB (Transportation Safety Board) had the following to say about this disaster :
Although Canadian National (CN) had prepared a Safety Integration Plan and provided informal training in DP setup and operations. However, in the absence of a formal risk assessment, CN resumed long DP train operations without adequate consideration of the value of retaining and using local knowledge and experience in the operation of long DP trains. This resulted in a lack of training and proper supervision that contributed to this derailment.
The TSB Report can be found here
http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/rail/2005/r05v0141/r05v0141_sec3.asp
Case #49026 is scheduled for September 24 in North Vancouver Provincial Court.
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