FRIDAY MAR. 29, 2013 VOL. 38, NO. 45
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Games day with horses
BIHORA holds a fun-filled event at the riding ring this Saturday
Downsizing in style
Bowen professionals help to create a ‘precious space’
World without waste
Bowen in Transition film series presents movies on garbage
Oil sheen in Snug Cove Coast Guard, RCMP and bylaw officer called to spill scene SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
O
Happy Easter! Lucy holds up a bowl of eggs of various colours, laid by the heritage breed hens her family raise. Story on page 6. Debra Stringfellow photo
The looks of the Roger Curtis Seawalk SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
T
he hedgerow and fencing that run for long sections along both sides of the community use trail at Cape Roger Curtis were the topic that was brought up in the public comment section of the special council meeting March 11. Bowen Island resident Melissa Harrison
said that members of the community are concerned about the matter. The municipality’s CAO Kathy Lalonde noted that staff is aware of the issue and is actively dealing with the file. In response to a media inquiry, the owners of The Cape on Bowen Community Development said in an email that the trail is an amenity that they are proud of. “It is rewarding to see how much it is
appreciated and valued by Bowen residents, Cape residents and tourists alike,” they state, adding that they planted the cedar trees along a portion of the trail as part of the environmental consultants’ vegetation management strategy. “[The cedar trees] also provide habitat for birds and insects, help to define the trail path, and act as a privacy screen for both
n the morning of Friday, March 22, Bowen Island’s municipal bylaw services officer Bonny Brokenshire was working with a colleague in Snug Cove near the Union Steamship Company Marina (USSC) when they were alerted to a “rainbow sheen on the water.” “We were working on maintenance and signage when we noticed an oil sheen on the water,” she said. Brokenshire went to the USSC office. On the way, she encountered a “good samaritan” who had absorbent pads ready and helped to apply them. In addition to the municipality, Bowen Island RCMP const. Bryan Mulrooney and the Coast Guard had been notified. Dan Bate, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ communications officer, said that the Canadian Coast Guard received a report from a concerned citizen about the appearance of diesel on the water in the vicinity of the Union Steamship Marina. “The BC Ferry Queen of Capilano confirmed the appearance of a slick in the area later that morning. A local RCMP officer attended the scene to investigate,” he said. “The Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft Siyay attended the scene and deployed absorbents. Surface sheening in the area was non-recoverable.” Bate added that Coast Guard officers spoke with the owner of the vessel [from which the oil originated] and estimate that less than five litres had been released from the bilge of a powerboat. For diesel, marine spills of larger amounts need to be reported to the Provincial Emergency Program by the “person who had possession, charge or control of a substance immediately before its spill,” according to the Spill Reporting Regulation of the Environmental Management Act. “I understand that diesel fuel, even if it is a small amount, can spread very far,” Brokenshire said.
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METAL DEER FENCING BY ROLL
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EASTER HOURS: Closed Good Friday • Open Saturday March 30TH • Closed Easter Sunday • Open Monday April 1ST