Fireworks Flew Over Proposed Explosives Plant

Friday, June 22, 2007 04:02 AM

Dyno Nobel’s plans to build an emulsion explosives manufacturing plant near the tiny community of Crescent Spur, east of Prince George, triggered strong words from several directors on the Board of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, but not for the reasons one might assume...

Several Directors, most notably McBride Mayor Mike Frazier, Valemount Mayor Jeannette Townsend, and Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley, did not mince words when they learned the reasons behind why Dyno Nobel’s application for a land amendment that would allow the plant to go ahead had been pulled from the agenda of yesterday’s board meeting.

The Directors were incensed to learn the property owner, the Crown, had not given its authorization yet, so the project has, in effect, stalled. This news came after directors heard a presentation from Dyno Nobel rep Bob Pankhurst on the extensive safety, environmental, and security regulations the three-person plant would have to abide by - including a 750-metre buffer zone around the plant site.

It was the same presentation Pankhurst had given to residents in Crescent Spur and McBride. And the province’s local Crown Land Manager, Dean Cherkas, came forward to explain that his office was holding off on authorization pending review of a petition and a number of calls to his office.

This snag, and the feeling Dyno Nobel might get frustrated and pull the plug on the project, sparked the fireworks...

Mayor Jeannette Townsend of Valemount wanted to know the specifics of the public concerns. "Are they based on emotion, or on facts, or ignorance. I think when an opportunity like this comes to a community like McBride, who’s mill has closed, that we need to know some answers."

Townsend continued, "I think there are a lot of ignorant people in our area who don’t know what they’re talking about and they’re making a lot of public comments based totally on ignorance and emotionalism. And I think it’s wrong and I really think that the Regional District should just come forward and ask for an expedition of this approval."

Cherkas replied that he could not get into the complete details of the file, but said it was based on public safety and environmental concerns.

McBride Mayor Mike Frazier says he feels the opposition to this plant is being driven by a small group of about 20 or 30 Crescent Spur residents who are environmentalists and conservationists and don’t want any kind of development. "I think they’re misinformed, ill-informed and have that Not-In-My-Backyard attitude and that will not serve Area ’H’, possibly even this Regional District further into the future." Frazier says the board was elected to make decisions that are in the best interests of those in the Regional District and it wouldn’t approve developments that were environmentally-hazardous.

Frazier continued: "I’m very disappointed. I’m sorry, I’m afraid we’re going to lose Dyno Nobel from this Regional District completely if we can’t find them a spot. And I’m particularly disappointed that we lost them from our area - if we haven’t already, I’m sure we’re gonna."

Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley agreed with Frazier’s sentiments that directors were elected to make these decisions. He was upset that the process might be stopped in the Crown Land office, without input from the board.

"This seems like an emotional issue where fact and science and everything else is just thrown away - it’s the new version of NIMBY that was referred to the cave people. And I don’t want to insult them and say they’re neandrethals, but they’re citizens against virtually everything." Kinsley said, "We (the board directors) have to stand tall, do the science, do what’s right for the public, engage in proper land-use, safety and all those issues, but do it in a manner that talks about reality."

Cherkas has promised a decision from his office by July 17th. In the interim, the board voted unanimously to send a letter to Minister responsible, Pat Bell, along with area MLAs Shirley Bond and John Rustad to see if the process could be expedited.

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Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 04:02 AM in News by Michelle Cyr-Whiting

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on June 22 2007 7:47 AM

The Directors surprise me a bit I have to admit. Good for them to get stand up and talk reasonable.

The delay by the local Crown Land Manager, Dean Cherkas, is the same stuff that used to happen at Environmental Reviews like the lime pit at Giscome is into. The province and Feds put those civil servants back in the bag. I am just amazed at the freedom the civil servants have when it comes to responding to political issues. Civil servants can easily kill a project well before anything gets to the people that are elected to look at approvals.

Posted by: Gofaster on June 22 2007 3:59 PM

Well if we lost them we lost them.
Not sure how I feel about having an explosives manufacturing plant in the areaa, but I am sure ticked byt the sneaky way they tried to set up the plant.
So what were they going to do, come in , build and then say or by the way we are here and we might blow up your community????? Too bad???
Bad way to do business.....
So this kind of underhandedness, McBride Mayor Mike Frazier, we really aren't going to miss much.
And no I am not an environmentalist....realist maybe....reality...I would like some say before I fine that my family and I might get blown up

Posted by: owl on June 22 2007 4:34 PM

"McBride Mayor Mike Frazier says he feels the opposition to this plant is being driven by a small group of about 20 or 30 Crescent Spur residents who are environmentalists and conservationists and don�t want any kind of development."

Small group? According to a newspaper article that is 80% of the population of that community.

Do people actually think that if 60,000 people in the City of PG population of some 75,000 would sign a petition that that is a �small group�? The size of groups are relative to the community they are part of.

Playing the NIMBY card? Who is playing it? Those on the Board clearly are for not having any sensitivity for small communities and stooping so low as to play that card.

This is the regional district. Of all forms of government, if regional district governments do not support small communities such as Crescent Spur and use them to dump the things they do not want in their neighbourhood, then who will protect them? The answer � at the moment it appears to be the province which is still level headed enough to do so.

I think either some or all the Directors on the RDFFG are in bad need of some sensitivity training. Communities do not deal only with science and they should know that. They deal with issues in emotional fashion. So what if they are environmentalists? If it was a religious sect and they were against that for whatever reason, no one would bat an eye. If they were First Nations, the same would hold.

The people live there from choice. It is obvious they value what they have. There is tons of property to be had. We do not reside in Hong Kong or Singapore for God�s sake. We live in a remote area of a remote part of the world. Surely we can find another piece of property which does not impinge on people�s beliefs to the extent that 80% of them are opposed to that intrusion.

McBride should take them in if they want them. Clearance of a half mile should be relatively easy.

Even parts of PG or the RDFFG areas immediately surrounding the city would have a spot that could provide a half mile radius buffer without human population. God only knows we have enough clear cuts of MPB to even keep it clear of trees if anyone is worried about accidental fires.

Posted by: pglady on June 22 2007 5:51 PM

I am wondering when the last time a community was blown up because of one of these plants??

Posted by: owl on June 22 2007 6:43 PM

Will this do? ...

Again, put the right words into the internet and 5 seconds later you have the answer to the question you pose.

You seem to imply with your question that it just does not happen these days. Sometimes intuation is better than science. In fact, it is more often than most people realize.

"September 25, 2001 Pennsylvania Dynamite Plant Explodes, killing 1

One person was killed and three others injured after an explosion at a Pennsylvania plant that makes dynamite and fireworks. The initial blast was followed by a series of secondary explosions and fires. Roughly 200 residents within a one mile radius were evacuated after fears that about 10,000 lb. of black powder stored at the site could explode."

[url]http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/1001News-MonthlyIncidents.htm[/url}

Any other questions?

;-)

Posted by: owl on June 22 2007 6:44 PM

http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/1001News-MonthlyIncidents.htm

Posted by: owl on June 22 2007 6:52 PM

BTW, notice that the linked site is from the safety and risk management industry. From reports to date, the RDFFG and the province has only heard form the manufacturers and the people in the community. No one seems to have heard from an independent group of safety and risk management experts.

The government at all levels has a duty of due diligence to its citizens. All sides need to be heard, and then a decision made. Directors have been shooting their mouths off without thinking.

It concerns me time and time again when that happens.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on June 22 2007 10:39 PM

Garbage in, garbage out.

Owl puts in the wrong words on the internet and gets something unrelated. I got back a reply that says someone blew up Hiroshima. Darn, someone Planted an explosive device!

I wonder if the words Spur and Cresent could be connected to terrorists? Leave it to Owl, heehee!

Posted by: thereasonableman on June 23 2007 12:07 AM

Are they environmentalists, or environMENTALists ?

Posted by: owl on June 23 2007 12:40 AM

Can explosives cause unexpected and accidental explosions? Yes!

To tell you the truth, that is not even the issue in my mind. The people in the community do not want it by an overwhelming majority. They are 50 + km from McBride. If the mayor of McBride wants it, then put it there. Go up the hill to the north on a forestry road, find a nice spot overlooking the town and build. Go for it.

That is the issue. Why be so idiotic and insensitive as to call them Neanderthal? For three jobs????? Good lord. People on the Board obviously have a lot of built up anger. Why? There is so much land around. Move down the road or up the road and find a place that is not inhabited yet. Shouldn�t be too difficult in that part of the world. Why is everyone at each other�s throat over such a miniscule issue? Let it go and move on. Work with the company to find another property. Leave the people alone. How to alienate people in one simple lesson.

The Board obviously failed at sandbox 101 in kindergarten.

Posted by: owl on June 23 2007 12:42 AM

The hippies are in Dunster.

Posted by: Tammie on June 24 2007 7:40 PM

We moved here from up north to get away from things that blow up. Like the gas pipeline. It was the main selling point for my husband and I, along with our 4 children. I object to being called an enviromentalist and conservasiontist as my husband is a logger. I also object to being called ignorant by the Mayor of Valemount, who has no say over our concerns. I also object to being compared to cavemen and neadrethals. I wans't born and bred here, but I chose to live where there were not the usual problems that come from industry and cities. Maybe we made a wrong choice in where to live, as the elected officials will sell a small community out for the price of taxes and 3 whole jobs. If McBride was so worried about losing the revenue and 3 jobs then they should have made room for it in there own back yard. If this gets expedited without taking our concerns into account, then we don't have a government, we have communism. We will move my family away from a Province that allows that to happen. It is also not very proper for the elected district to be calling people of the area names that could come back and bite them, come the next election. If that is how the elected officials work maybe they should go back to grade 2 and have a time out. Dyno Nobel had a presentation that could have been put together by a 5th grader, could not answer questions that were valid and was above all he was open in his sneering laughter that he thought that we were all backwater hicks. We are not, we are all from different backgrounds and different areas of the country of Canada that have chosen to live in the only area left unspoiled by industry. This plant is not the answer for the people of McBride that are now out of work because of the mill closer. They need skilled workers and none of the people of McBride are skilled in that area. I hope that the elected "non- neandrethals" of McBride can see the light that this would just bring in more industry and a lot less tourists for the area.

Posted by: owl on June 24 2007 10:22 PM

Finally a member of the community wrote on here. Thanks for taking the time. It is the worst side of government that comes out when elected officials belittle anyone in their community whether by name calling or determining that because they do not listen "to the reason of science" they are obviously not capable of making rational decisions.