November 2018
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Stricter tree retention Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, November 4. Fall back! rules coming? page 3
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Tsunami siren fails to sound, page 7
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Smoked pot? It may depend on Autumn mist at sunrise ... when and where you did it Used it in B.C.? OK. Plan to use it down south? Not ok. B y P a t G r u bb Current U.S. enforcement of federal laws against marijuana was not expected to change when it comes to Canadians crossing the border following Canada’s national legalization of pot on October 17. This was according to Todd Owens, assistant executive commissioner for Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) office of field operations. Owens held a telephonic press conference with journalists on October 16. In fact, CBP policy had already changed as late as October 9. In September, Owens was quoted in a Politico article saying that persons involved in the marijuana industry would not be allowed into the U.S., nor would investors in marijuana companies be considered admissible. However, in an October 9 update, CBP announced that “…a Canadian citizen working in or facilitating the proliferation of the legal marijuana industry in Canada, coming to the U.S. for reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry will generally be admissible to the U.S. However, if a traveler is found to be coming to the U.S. for reason related to the marijuana industry, they may be deemed inadmissible.” That brought a sigh of relief not only to individual pot users – big money must also be happy. Constellation Brands, the $42 billion wine and spirits company behind Corona, Modelo and Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey, announced in August that it would invest an additional $4 billion in Canada’s Canopy Growth Corporation, the world’s largest marijuana company by market capitalization, raising its minority ownership to 38 percent. Seattle-based private equity firm Privateer Holdings is one of the largest investors in the Canadian medical marijuana sector with holdings in producer Tilray, Marley Natural and Leafly, the world’s most popular cannabis website. Privateer has more than 350 employees and has raised well over $100 million. Owens had told reporters that he didn’t expect there to be much change at the border as a result of the legalization. Visitors who have used marijuana in the past or are determined to be drug abusers or addicts will still be considered inadmissible to the U.S. However, when asked what time period the “past” referred to, he replied it applied to before the date of Canadian legalization. He added that officers had wide discretion and would most likely question travelers on their intended plans and activities while in the States. If the officer believed that a visitor would be likely to use marijuana during their visit, the visitor could be deemed inadmissible.
s Summer has gone and winter is coming. In the meantime, a spell of sunny weather made October the fourth longest stretch of sunny weather in 50 years, according to Environment Canada. Photo by Pat Grubb
Fire district buys smaller, more versatile pumper By Meg Olson Point Roberts fire department will be adding a lean, mean firefighting machine to its fleet. At their October 10 meeting fire district commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of the new fire truck and waiving the requirement for competitive bids. The new fire vehicle is not your typical fire truck. A mini-pumper demonstration unit, it is smaller and more maneuverable
than the district’s larger trucks, requires less personnel, and is better suited for the needs of Point Roberts, said fire chief Christopher Carleton. “After studying our risk profile in detail a few years ago it was determined our first line vehicle should be a specific type built for rapid, maneuverable and flexible response,” Carleton said. The new unit has a 2018 Ford F550 chassis with a 300-gallon water tank, 25-gallon foam tank and a pump capacity that is the same as the larger engines.
WUTC pushes trash review back The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) will put off their decision on garbage rates in Point Roberts while they get some questions answered. “Folks have raised some issues I want some clarification on,” said WUTC chairman David Danner at an October 11 open meeting in Olympia. Commissioners agreed to keep their review of the rate revision being proposed by Freedom 2000 LLC, doing business as CanDo Recycling
and Disposal Services, over until their scheduled October 19 meeting. They directed staff to look into questions about adequate notice to customers and how multi-family properties are served. Both issues were brought up at the meeting by Point Roberts resident Allison Calder, one of five members of the public who spoke at the hearing either in person or by phone. Calder, the manager of Kini(See Trash, page 17)
It also provides compressed air foam capacity and will carry three ladders. “This gives us a very flexible, maneuverable and adroit first line engine that will continue to be backed by our larger and much older (23 and 27 years of service) traditional pumpers,” Carleton said. “With it we can respond to essentially any of our principal risks, reach it quickly and hold it in check until additional help is mobilized if and (See Fire, page 2)
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