OPINION 10
WEDNESDAY
April 22 2015
Rise and dance
Vol. 106 No. 31
URBAN SENIOR 14
Earth Day events FITNESS 31
Shape up for the garden There’s more online at
vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908
New chief stays course
City’s mental health crisis a priority Andrew Fleming
afleming@vancourier.com
KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Ten-year-old Chloe Sinow and her 12-year-old brother Skylar are out to prove that business success isn’t just for adults. The pair will be pitching their Kids Can Cook Gourmet company to the Dragons’ Den TV show next week. See story on page 9. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
Look south for oil spill laws ‘Legislate the requirements,’ says critic Jen St. Denis
jstdenis@biv.com
In all his years as a recreational sailor, it was something Rob O’Dea had never seen before: thousands of globules of oil, suspended in the water of English Bay. “The water was thick with oil, pea-sized, up to fist-sized gooey clumps,” said O’Dea, who was sailing with a friend on the evening of April 8. “As soon as we realized we were in an oil spill we turned around. The jib sheet dropped into the water, and it was immediately covered with this black goo.” Following a relatively small fuel oil spill from a ship anchored at the entrance to Burrard Inlet, critics are taking aim at federal oil spill response measures. They’re pointing to the United States as an example of how Canada can do better, in terms
of holding oil-transporting companies to account, involving local communities and providing more reassurance to the public. Canada should learn from states such as Alaska and Washington, which strengthened regulations after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, said Karen Wristen, executive director of Living Oceans. “They cautioned that we should not be relying on any voluntary measures on the part of the oil companies,” Wristen said, referring to comments made at a 2013 oil spill response symposium hosted by the B.C. government. “The advice from the United States was quite strong: legislate the requirements down to the last boom and skimmer.” Environmental groups are concerned that if two controversial oil pipelines — Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project and
Kinder Morgan’s plan to twin its existing Trans Mountain pipeline — are approved, the number of oil tankers travelling along B.C.’s coast would sharply increase. Spencer Chandra Herbert, NDP MLA for Vancouver-West End, pointed to Washington State’s requirement that Kinder Morgan provide the government with its emergency response plans as the company seeks approval to increase the amount of oil it moves by pipe from Alberta to the B.C. coast. But in Canada, the National Energy Board declined to provide the plan to the B.C. government, citing security concerns. “Washington State said, ‘You have to tell us,’” Herbert said. “Here in B.C. and Canada we don’t require it, so they said, ‘Well, we won’t provide it.’” Continued on page 6
Don’t expect major changes to city policing under new Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer. Palmer, a 28-year VPD veteran who leapfrogged the rank of superintendent when promoted from inspector to deputy chief in 2010, said he doesn’t intend to do run things much differently than popular predecessor Jim Chu, who announced his retirement plans in January after eight years as the city’s top cop. “Jim Chu set a very good course for the VPD and we are at a very good time,” Palmer, 52, said at a press conference last Friday morning at police headquarters on Cambie Street while flanked by Chu and Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We have very good credit with Canadians right now and I think we have a very good relationship with the city and the police board and I think things are going very well, so I’m not taking over a police department that is in any kind of turmoil or trouble. Jim Chu has been a very good mentor to me so I’m not planning any drastic changes. What I want to do is talk to people, get the pulse, get used to sitting in the chair and then we’ll look if we need to make any decisions or make any changes.” Palmer, who became the sole candidate for the job after fellow deputy chief Doug LePard withdrew from consideration and supported Palmer, was appointed unanimously by the eight-member police board chaired by Robertson and won’t officially take over until sometime in the next few weeks. He said tackling the city’s mental health problems, which Chu and Robertson have described as a crisis, will remain a top priority. “That’s one that we’re going to keep noses to the grindstone to, and have yet to make a difference in, because there a lot of people hurting in our society and we’ll do our best to help them,” said Palmer. Continued on page 3
DYSLEXIA DIDN’T STOP ALBERT. We don’t let dyslexia or language-related learning disabilities affect our students, either. They learn differently, and we offer them an education in a setting where they can thrive. See for yourself at the Fraser Academy Open House: Thursday, May 14, 9:30-11:15am. For more info or to RSVP, visit www.fraseracademy.ca or call 604 736 5575. © Estate of Yousuf Karsh