Proposed Explosive Plant Site Under Review

Saturday, July 21, 2007 04:00 AM

There is no clear answer as to when there will be a decision in the Dyno Nobel emulsion explosives plant site issue.

Agriculture Minister Pat Bell says the Integrated Land Management Bureau is in consultation with the Lheidli T’enneh on reviewing the site.

“Initially they had accepted the proposal for the construction of a facility in that area, they have since raised some concerns so staff are working with the Lheidli T’enneh now and once we have completed that process, we will make a decision.”

How long it will take to complete that consultation is not known. Bell says he expects this matter to be resolved sooner rather than later “ I am not expecting this to be a long process, I would hope to see a decision within a couple of weeks at the outside.”

Dyno Nobel had hoped to start construction this fall on a site in the Crescent Spur area. While it is not the only site Dyno Nobel has looked at, it is the preferred site. Dynbo Nobel had hoped to start providing explosives from this facility to the mining industry next year.

The Mayor of McBride, Mike Frazier, says he is aware that the Calgary based company is being “wooed” by other towns and regional districts. He is concerned Dyno Nobel will move elsewhere.

While the plant will only provide three full time jobs, the facility would increase the tax base for the area.

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Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on July 21 2007 7:15 AM

Promise the First Nation that the Second Nation will give away free meals. That should do it.

I know at Finbow Camp up the Wiliston that was the policy. Sure is different in today's camps, in the past it was garbage bears that were nuisance. We used to shoot the garbage bears, but today the camps get shot at and we can't do anything about it.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on July 21 2007 7:22 AM

Oops, pushed post. At least there is no more wildlife around once First Nations gets in on the access roads. I tried to get a permit for a cat trail through the bush and couldn't get it, because the government didn't want the First Nation in there. The hilarious part was it was all "traditional territory"! What a game the First an Second Nations play. They are both giggling behind their hands, while feeding the public Hairy Pot fairy tail.

Posted by: seamutt on July 21 2007 4:23 PM

Cresent Spur! Anyone know where the first nations are out there. This plant only employes three people so it can not be very big. Whats all the excitment about?

Posted by: owl on July 21 2007 7:00 PM

The excitement ???? ....

A place which few people around here are familiar with unless you are able to afford $1,000 a day heli ski packages ....

http://www.crescentspurheliski.com/heliskiing_packages

This is one of those tourist destinations we have which attract people from the world over and everyone in PG scratches their heads when they encounter them at the Inn on their night flying into town wondering what on earth would attract them to PG .....

Posted by: owl on July 21 2007 7:04 PM

5 day. 10 person group price ..... $85,000 ...

the explosives plant can go somewhere else if the operators think this sort of thing will bite into their business ..... at $85,000 per week it is potentially a greater economic impact on the community than 3 jobs ..... 3 jobs = 3 weeks of operating that facility at best ..... and those 3 people ain't getting $85,000 per year.

Posted by: owl on July 21 2007 7:08 PM

6 weeks in 2008 are already sold out .....

a cool half million dollars coming from outside the community, very likely outside of the province and likely outside the country ....

This is the kind of foreign exchange money we need.

Posted by: thereasonableman on July 21 2007 8:09 PM

Own shares...or what ?

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on July 21 2007 10:51 PM

Isn't the operator for that area Martin Daburger - Bear Paw Heli?

Seems he couldn't do any heli-ski tours because of caribou in the area. So who's doing any heli-skiing out of Crescent Spur?

Red Mountain, Torpy, McGregor, Ice Mountain, Walker - the whole place was chopped up into such little pieces that Martin didn't think it was worth his while to even buy insurance. Other operators have huge areas, but Crescent Spur?

By the way, most of the 85,000 you were talking about goes to the helicopter operating costs. The three jobs in the explosive plant have more economic benefit locally than what's left over for the guides.

Posted by: Magna Carta on July 22 2007 12:57 AM

My informed source said that the Lheidli T�enneh supported the residents of Crescent Spur in their opposition to the Dyno Nobel plant. I wonder if the Lheidli T�enneh were ever in favor of it...?

Recognizing that many folks bow down in historical & modern thanks to the likes of the Hudson Bay Co, CN Railroad and Dyno Nobel because these remnants of feudalism supply them for what passes as security these days..their token pay checks compared to the ransom their corporate owners make off with every year.

My hats off to the folks of Crescent Spur and the Lheidli T�enneh. They see no reason for an industrial park in that area. Move it to PG, a mine site, or some place that wants it.

Posted by: owl on July 22 2007 1:47 AM

"Own shares...or what ?"

Actually anyone who lives in this region "owns" shares in the community. I would like my community and region to survive. It will survive better if it uses the resources it has appropriately. Mountains are difficult to move, last time I spoke to a geologist.

Industrial plants generally do not belong in areas which have "natural attributes" which draw tourist dollars to the region.

I am well aware of the operating costs of helicopters, how much pilots get, where they live, and how much mechanical service costs and where that gets done. Most of the money stays in this region, with a much smaller amount staying in Crescent Spur.

Industrial plants can locate in other places, even around McBride, without spoiling high tourist potential sites. Or they could be located in the PG region. Red Rock/Stoner sounds like a great site to me. Close to rail and highway, little tourist potential. I am sure that a location can be found with nothing within a half Km radius or so.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on July 22 2007 7:09 AM

"...remnants of feudalism ... token pay checks ... their corporate owners make off..." What country do you live in?? We have doctors if you need one, Canada is always sending aid to third world countries.

Posted by: Magna Carta on July 22 2007 12:03 PM

..Cat,

Time to take a look outside your window.
In rural BC any idea how long it takes to get your Hydro hooked up, Telus to "bless you" with a telephone line when the Hydro poles are already there, CN to "bless you" with a railroad crossing to access your property, etc? And you think you live in the first world? If you live within 50 miles of the US border you probably do.

Name me another industrialized country that would put up with CN's safety record over the last 24 months, without any substantial financial or legal penalties?
Canada is a great country but that is not an excuse to be complacent or to pretend Crescent Spur has the same level of services as PG, or that PG has the same level of services as Vancouver.

About that aid to Third world countries: I think we are taking their doctors as fast as they can immigrate.

More on corporatism later...

Posted by: owl on July 22 2007 1:19 PM

"About that aid to Third world countries: I think we are taking their doctors as fast as they can immigrate."

Something many people seem to forget, the fact that we do not train enough of our own, and BC still trains fewer per capita than most, if not any other provinces.

Essentially part of that foreign aid goes to paying for doctors to come over.

And, of course, there are more than just doctors. Remember, that is why Gates is opening up a saftware development operation in Vancouver, to acces the high tech Asian labour pool which the US is not allowing into Washington state.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on July 22 2007 1:28 PM

Hey MC - I took a look out the window. All I saw was trees. Oh, and a deer this morning. So, what was I looking for? Some feudalism corporate owners making off with my old pick up? Or the wife's laundry?

If you go along the CN railway tracks in the winter there is plenty of road kill to eat. I have a buddy that works for Hydro, so no problem there.

It sounds like you haven't found your niche in life in the country you are living in. If you want to live in Vancouver, just fill out the forms and move in, but make sure that's what you want. I'm spoilt, no way I could live in VR!