THURSDAY
S I N C E
NOVEMBER 21, 2013
1 8 9 5
Vol. 118, Issue 184
105
$
INCLUDING G.S.T.
Smokies scarves a success Page 9
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Rail safety guidelines already in effect
BUILDING BEAUTIFUL BASKETS
SD 20
District struggles with student support issues BY ART HARRISON
Emergency services have lines of communication open with Teck
Times Staff
BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Two months after a devastating train explosion in Lac-Megantic, Que., the federal government is ordering rail companies to come clean and tell communities when they pass through with dangerous goods on board. This ruling, called a protection direction, was issued in Ottawa on Wednesday in hopes it will result in better communication between municipalities and rail companies. Locally, the regional emergency services coordinator said a line of communication with Teck Trail Operations has long been established that includes information about the products regularly transported through Greater Trail. “That has been taken into account as part of our regional emergency plan that we have on file and just updated last year,” confirmed Dan Derby. “We are aware and work with Teck on a regular basis so collectively we’d respond to an event that involved a rail car and Teck products.” While Teck does have extensive emergency training and capacity to respond, rail companies are responsible for ensuring safe transport on their rail systems, said Catherine Adair, Teck’s community relations leader. “Teck does not ship or receive via rail any materials that are listed as explosives under the Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulation,” she confirmed. “And Teck does not ship or receive fuels by rail.” CP Rail runs to Teck Trail Operations from Castlegar with rail lines running through Tadanac and up to the Warfield plant. Additionally, two re-load centres located in the Waneta area, run by third parties and serviced by Kettle Falls International Railway, travel to and from the U.S. See FEDERAL, Page 3
SHERI REGNIER PHOTO
Gail Winters, from Trail Community in Bloom, was elbow deep in foliage this week, along with a handful of helpers, to arrange festive baskets as part of downtown Trail’s seasonal decor. This year, the greenery was collected by volunteers who trimmed trees from under power lines and gave the clippings a second life as fragrant and sustainable decoration. Columbia Valley Greenhouses provided Winters and fellow basket-arrangers the space to assemble half of their goal, which is 75 baskets, that will be hung from lampposts along Bay and Cedar avenues.
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Much of the evening was business as usual at the regular open meeting of the School District 20 (SD 20) Board of Education at the Kootenay/Columbia Learning Centre in Trail Monday, with the exception of a number of issues concerning Andy Davidoff, president of the Kootenay Columbia Teacher’s Union. After the Superintendent of Schools for SD 20, Greg Luterbach, presented enrolment statistics and class breakdowns for the 2013/2014 school year, Davidoff raised the question of the lack of educational assistants (EAs) in a number of classes throughout the district with students who had been identified as either Special Education students or those who received an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which qualifies them for EA support in the classroom. “These aren’t all students with IEPs, they are students identified as requiring assistance,” Luterbach responded. “In some cases it may be students who are pulled out of class and are receiving support in other ways.” Davidoff also raised concerns of teaching and support staff in the district regarding an apparent lack of EAs available for replacement of staff on leave or sick days. “We have asked for the board’s protocols when EAs are not replaced,” said Davidoff. “I have received emails from student support services having to do EA work when the EA wasn’t replaced. Is there a shortage of EAs?” Luterbach responded by requesting a formal letter to the board presenting the concerns for it to discuss in later meetings. “What I want to do in the letter to the board is ask them to identify the classes and ask what the designations are for the students,” said Davidoff following the meeting. See SCHOOL, Page 2
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