The City of Estevan has taken the next step in its quest to get Canadian Pacific Railway's oil transloading site out of the city.
At their first regular meeting of 2012, the members of city council formally requested that CPR halt activity at the transload site until at least Jan. 24 when the two sides are expected to meet to discuss a number of issues, primarily CPR's emergency plan for the site. The City is also concerned about the number of trucks accessing the site, which is located on CPR property in the centre of town, via Kensington Avenue.
The transload site has been a hot issue from the minute it was announced in December through a CPR press release. Since it opened, the City has been steadfast in its stance that a transload site does not belong in Estevan and that the risk to public safety is too high. They expressed many of those points at a meeting just prior to Christmas but came away unsatisfied with CPR's response to their concerns. Councillor Lynn Chipley, who served as acting mayor at Monday's meeting for the vacationing Gary St. Onge, said they are hopeful of a better result on the 24th.
"I was so disappointed in our initial meeting because they just came in so heavy handed and patronizing and condescending," said Chipley. "I just think that they are not listening and are not responsive. They had other alternatives; we were simply a really easy, quick fix for them to get up and running quickly. They had the sidings here and they could just go."
Among the topics to be discussed at the Jan. 24 meeting, is CPR's contingency plan in the event of a fire or a spill, something the City had asked CPR to present to them prior to opening the site.
Chipley said they have numerous concerns about the safety of the site. Those fears were bolstered after a meeting Monday with officials from the provincial Fire Commissioner's Office. She said the two men who met with council and other City employees felt CPR could not have picked a worse spot had they tried.
"We took them out to the site this afternoon and they couldn't quite believe that it was there," Chipley said. "They were very surprised by the proximity of especially the residences to the site. If there is a fire of any kind, immediately within 800 metres everyone has to be evacuated and within 30 minutes everyone within half a mile of that facility has to be evacuated. If you look on our map, that would be half our city that has to be evacuated within 30 minutes."
Estevan Fire Rescue Service Chief Ron Tocker also spoke at Monday's meeting and said if a worst-case scenario fire happened at the site, his department does not have the resources to extinguish it. He added the lack of a constant water source is also a major issue.
"When I look at how much oil is on just one tank truck, we do not have the resources; we don't have the manpower," he said. "If we had to shuttle back and forth to get water, the good that we accomplished when we had water on scene would dissipate when we leave to get water.
"And if we put water on it, are we going to have environmental issues? Where is that oil and water going, how are we going to stop it? I don't think we can allow CPR to minimize this. We can't allow that to happen. There is a risk to the public here and I think we have to defend that."
Tocker said he is not questioning CPR's safety record or reputation, but as fire chief it is his job to plan for the worst possible scenario and if that were to occur he admitted his department could not handle it. He added that while the facility might be safe, there is always the human element that leaves the door open to accidents.
"This afternoon, I understand that in Steelman, a truck driver backed up, hooked up his hose, forgot to put his airbrakes on, went into the building, the truck rolled down the road, the hoses came off and the oil started spilling," Tocker said.
"That was my point to CPR. It's not their integrity, it's the human involvement we have with the transloading operation itself."
In the meantime, Chipley and the other members of council called on the residents of Estevan to join them in their fight to have the site moved out of the city. Chipley said they have asked CPR to hold a public meeting regarding the site and since they appear reticent to do that, the public needs to find other ways to express their feelings.
"In this situation (public input) is probably the most crucial that I have seen of any kind of concern that has come to council. They are regulated by federal law and it's hard to find the people that actually do regulate them. We are having a heck of a time finding them and we know that it is probably going to take public outcry for them to take notice," said Chipley.
"This is a life and safety issue and I don't want to be the councillor that said 'OK, we are going to sit back and see what happens and then something happens.'"
Chipley said if residents are worried about the site they should contact CPR and MP Ed Komarnicki. She added the idea of a petition, which was broached by student Councillor Jayden Daymen, is an idea worth exploring.
