Editor:
I can’t believe that our mayor is still not being informed ahead of time as to the contents in the Burlington Northern trains travelling along our beautiful waterfront of White Rock and South Surrey, especially considering what happened last week at the Port in Vancouver, where a container of a very toxic chemical caught fire, sending billowing clouds of toxic black smoke for miles and caused people to be evacuated or to shut themselves into their homes for many hours.
Vancouver threw their many resources at the problem, had the information on what the chemical was and had a hazardous-chemical response team to respond.
I understand ships and their contents have to identify what they are shipping into the Port of Vancouver.
Unfortunately for us, the railways do not have this requirement to inform our mayor, ahead of time, what they are shipping in each train before it comes along our waterfront. How on earth would our firefighters know what they have to deal with if they don’t have that information if a derailment or accident happens?
It is not good enough to inform the city every few months all the items they are shipping. They need specific information on each car and what it is carrying.
The lame excuse that terrorists might get this information is an insult to the integrity of our mayor and his fire chief. Mayor Wayne Baldwin has repeatedly asked for information from BNSF as to what is being shipped on each train before it comes through, but his pleas have been falling on deaf ears.
The following are a list of some of the 34 dangerous goods BNSF shipped through White Rock in 2013: chlorine; anhydrous ammonia; butylene petroleum gasses, liquefied; propane or butane ;sulfur dioxide; gas, oil, diesel fuel,heating oil; hexaldehyde; methanol; octanes; petroleum crude oil; acetyl chloride; hydrochloric acid; sulfuric acid; denatured alcohol; fuel oil; organophosphorus pesticides; hot asphalt; corrosive liquid, acidic, inorganic; etc. Scary stuff!
Does BNSF have an evacuation plan or a response team for hazardous spills, or even enough insurance for the damage that a chemical spill could do to our pristine coast, not to mention the thousands of unsuspecting residents who could be affected?
Is Transport Canada demanding this, or are they too busy bullying the city to put in pedestrian-crossing infrastructure, when it would be better for everyone if they just relocated the rail line to twin the freeway?
It would a tragedy if this beautiful coastline, enjoyed by so many residents and visitors from all over the mainland, were to be harmed.
Patricia Kealy, White Rock
