Members of BROKE staged a ādie-inā on Monday morning, protesting the expansion of the Kinder Morganās 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 ādie-in,ā was organized by Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE) outside Public Safety Canadaās regional office, at 3292 Production Way.
It started with an air siren, indicating that Kinder Morganās tank farm had exploded. Several people subsequently ādiedā on the spot.
The goal was to get the attention of Ralph Goodale, Canadaās public safety minister, and let him know the risks of expanding the tank farm are too great, according to one organizer.
āThis 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,ā said Ruth Walmsley with BROKE. āThere could be plumes of highly toxic smoke and thereās only two roads coming down from Simon Fraser, and they intersect very close to the tank farm. They would basically be trapped up there ā thousands of people ā and thatās unacceptable.ā
Besides twinning the existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, Kinder Morganās $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 āposes significant constraints.ā
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 āa thorough public safety analysisā of the tank farm expansion; coordinate an emergency evacuation and response strategy with the Burnaby Fire Department, Burnaby RCMP, Kinder Morgan, SFU and other āhigh-life risk areasā in the community; and produce a report, showing how Public Safety Canada intends to address the worst-case scenarios.
Following the demonstration, BROKEās Karl Perrin hand delivered a letter to Public Safety Canadaās Burnaby office.
He was met with a locked door.
āHello, Iāve got an extra hearing aid. Can you hear me?ā Perrin said as he pulled out an extra hearing aid from his jacket pocket. āWeāre waiting.ā
After a few knocks and no response, Perrin slid the letter under the door.
A request for comment from Goodaleās ministry has not been returned.
