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Hearing set for conduct of officers BY
JESSICA KERR
jkerr@delta-optimist.com
capabilities. Vice-president and general manager Denis Horgan told Delta council the coal port is planning to spend $7 million on new equipment. The recent sampling and analysis, though, shows that coal dust drifting off trains remains a concern. The report to council notes Westshore Terminals has installed a video camera at the rail crossing at 80th Street and advised that some trains were observed emitting visible coal dust during
A date has been set for a public hearing into the conduct of two Delta police officers. In August, the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner announced an inquiry into the actions of constables Aaron Hill and Aaron McRae. The hearing will take place in Vancouver Dec. 2 to 4. In September 2011, the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner received a complaint that the two officers tackled a man off his bike and repeatedly smashed his face into the cement and kicked him in the ribs during an arrest in North Delta on Sept. 17, 2011. The complaint alleges abuse of authority, damage to property of others, deceit and neglect of duty on the part of the two officers. The complaint has already been extensively reviewed. Initially it was forwarded to the Delta Police Department’s professional standards section. It was investigated and found only the neglect of duty allegation was substantiated. In December 2012, the police complaint commissioner decided to send the complaint to a judicial review after determining there was a reasonable basis to believe the initial decision was incorrect. After reviewing the case, retired judge Jakob S. De Villiers dismissed all the allegations against the officers in June. However, he noted in his findings that he thought he was not able to cross-examine those who testified and the complainant was
See COAL DUST page 3
See OFFICERS page 3
FILE PHOTO
Delta commissioned an independent monitoring program this summer in response to concerns by residents about coal dust emanating from Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank and the trains that service the port.
Coal dust within limits
Monitoring program shows high levels near tracks, but well below guidelines in Tsaw. BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
Coal dust sampling commissioned by Delta has found dustfall in Tsawwassen is within allowable limits, but exceeds provincial guidelines adjacent to railway tracks. Delta council discussed Monday the findings of the monitoring program conducted this summer in response to concerns by residents about coal dust emanating from Westshore Terminals’ operations at Roberts Bank. Staff with Acuren Group Inc.
placed collection canisters at four locations throughout Tsawwassen as well as one near the Boundary Bay Airport. The Tsawwassen sample sites ranged from 4.5 kilometres to 5.5 kilometres from the coal terminal. The study found the presence of coal particles in all five samples, however, according to the findings, all four monitoring locations in Tsawwassen had “relatively very low overall” coal dust particle readings. Council was told the Tsawwassen monitoring locations were well below the B.C. Air
Quality guidelines for average dustfall in a residential area for a one-month period. However, that wasn’t the case for the airport sample, which was taken just 15 metres away from railway tracks and well exceeded the guidelines. That sample had approximately 30 times more particulate matter than the Tsawwassen samples with a much higher concentration of coal, a report to council stated. Earlier this year, it was announced Westshore Terminals was planning to spend millions to upgrade its coal dust suppression