Members of BROKE staged a 鈥榙ie-in鈥� on Monday morning, protesting the expansion of the Kinder Morgan鈥檚 tank farm on Burnaby Mountain. Photograph By TEREZA VERENCA
It was like a scene out of Law and Order.
Some 15 bodies lay near the Production Way SkyTrain station on Monday morning.
Seven people in hazmat suits arrived at the scene, checking each individual for a pulse. They carried stretchers and hauled the bodies off one by one.
The demonstration, known as a 鈥渄ie-in,鈥� was organized by Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE) outside Public Safety Canada鈥檚 regional office, at 3292 Production Way.
It started with an air siren, indicating that Kinder Morgan鈥檚 tank farm had exploded. Several people subsequently 鈥渄ied鈥� on the spot.
The goal was to get the attention of Ralph Goodale, Canada鈥檚 public safety minister, and let him know the risks of expanding the tank farm are too great, according to one organizer.
鈥淭his is a densely populated area; there are thousands of people living on Burnaby Mountain. Basically, the only emergency response plan is for them to shelter in place,鈥� said Ruth Walmsley with BROKE. 鈥淭here could be plumes of highly toxic smoke and there鈥檚 only two roads coming down from Simon Fraser, and they intersect very close to the tank farm. They would basically be trapped up there 鈥� thousands of people 鈥� and that鈥檚 unacceptable.鈥�
Besides twinning the existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, Kinder Morgan鈥檚 $7.4-billion Trans Mountain project will see an additional 14 new tanks built on Burnaby Mountain, bringing the total number of tanks to 26.
In their demonstration, the anti-pipeline activists referred to a published by the Burnaby Fire Department. The document analyzes the fire and safety risks and consequences associated with adding more units, and concludes the tank farm should not be expanded.
The document, which outlines a number of worst-case scenarios for the Burnaby Mountain facility, states the expansion 鈥減oses significant constraints.鈥�
Those include: the safety of firefighters and effectiveness to combat fire; containment and extinguishment of fire/spill/release; evacuation of employees within the Burnaby Mountain terminal facility; and the evacuation of adjacent neighbourhoods.
The activists called on Goodale to conduct 鈥渁 thorough public safety analysis鈥� of the tank farm expansion; coordinate an emergency evacuation and response strategy with the Burnaby Fire Department, Burnaby RCMP, Kinder Morgan, SFU and other 鈥渉igh-life risk areas鈥� in the community; and produce a report, showing how Public Safety Canada intends to address the worst-case scenarios.
Following the demonstration, BROKE鈥檚 Karl Perrin hand delivered a letter to Public Safety Canada鈥檚 Burnaby office.
He was met with a locked door.
鈥淗ello, I鈥檝e got an extra hearing aid. Can you hear me?鈥� Perrin said as he pulled out an extra hearing aid from his jacket pocket. 鈥淲e鈥檙e waiting.鈥�
After a few knocks and no response, Perrin slid the letter under the door.
A request for comment from Goodale鈥檚 ministry has not been returned.
