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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010
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Trustee raises conflict question BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER
nhope@royalcityrecord.com
Do school trustees who are members of the same union that the district is negotiating with face a conflict of interest during budget deliberations? Trustee Jim Goring is concerned that even if a trustee with union ties isn’t in conflict, the perception that there could be is enough reason for the district to craft a conflict-of-interest policy. “I felt very uncomfortable because it’s a difficult issue,” Goring told The Record. “I’m not stating that people are being dishonest, … that’s why it’s very difficult. I’m not making any allegations that people are doing things the wrong way, that they are using information incorrectly.” At Tuesday’s board of education meeting, Goring handed trustees a last-minute motion to develop a conflict policy by Nov. 18, and then vote on the policy at its next meeting. Goring told trustees that the board urgently needed to develop a conflict policy for trustees because the district had entered into union contract negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Trustee Lori Watt works at CUPE’s head office in Burnaby, and trustee James Janzen is a CUPE member through his job with the City of Burnaby. Watt, Janzen and trustee Michael Ewen ◗Ewen Page 5
Larry Wright/THE RECORD
Keeping their memory alive: Five-year-old Emmaline Rathbun of New Westminster stops to pay tribute to Canada’s fallen war heroes at the New Westminster cenotaph on Thursday. New Westminster residents gathered at the Royal Westminster Regiment Armoury for a service, followed by a ceremony at the cenotaph. See more photos and information on page 3.
Toxic blob triggers high-risk status BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
The presence of a toxic blob at the Westminster Pier Park site means the entire site is classified high risk even though the contamination is contained to a small part of the property. Doug Walton, manager of risk assessment and remediation for the province’s Ministry of the Environment, said sites aren’t divided into different classifications; one classification applies to an entire site that’s being remediated. The presence of chlorinated solvents in the form of dense non-aqueous phase liquid means the whole site is now classified as a
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high-risk site, rather than a low-risk site. Walton stressed that the contaminants are eight metres below the surface and don’t appear to be progressing out to the Fraser River. “It seems to be restricted to this one spot on the city’s property,” he told The Record Wednesday. Future drilling will refine the location of the contamination related to the chlorinated solvents. “Right now, we simply don’t know,” Walton said. A staff report presented to city council on Nov. 8 stated that the area in question is about 750 square metres, which represents about
five per cent of the park property. Walton and another ministry official meet every month or two with representatives from consultants hired by the City of New Westminster to review the work that has been done. “Are we providing formal approvals of any work? No, we are not,” Walton said. Walton said the city, through its consultant, has complied with the requirements of province’s environmental legislation. Cleanup work on the site is proceeding under what’s known as an “independent remediation” process. “Independent remediation is allowed ◗Blob Page 8