Squamish Chief

A vice-president with Canadian National Railway Corp. (CN) traveled to Squamish last week from his office in Edmonton to announce his company is partnering with the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) to help with the efforts to recover salmon stocks in the Squamish River watershed, including the Cheakamus River.

Peter Marshall, senior vice-president of CN’s western Canada region, pledged to support the PSF with a $250,000 contribution to be spent on future assessments of the watershed and salmon recovery plans in the aftermath of this month’s toxic spill in the Cheakamus from a derailed CN train.

CN will provide financial support as required over the next five years to help with the Squamish River Watershed Recovery Plan.

The announcement took place on the bank of the Cheakamus River on Aug. 17. Just 12 days earlier the river, was injected with a lethal dose of sodium hydroxide from a rail car which derailed and fell off the rail bridge Cheakamus Canyon.

The derailment is the subject of a number of investigations and Marshall wouldn’t comment on the early findings of the investigation into the accident.

Marshall said his company’s partnership with the PSF is part of an effort to set things right after the accident.

“We are here for the long term,” Marshall said. “We are here to do the right thing.”

Local biologist Edith Tobe participated in the announcement as her group, the Squamish River Watershed Society, is actively involved in the local salmon recovery plans. “This incident with CN is really an eye opener,” she said.

Tobe said the extent of the fish damage isn’t fully understood yet but she added the Cheakamus River system will be brought back intact as quickly a as possible. She said it will take a long time for the Cheakamus to recover.

Dr. Paul Kariya, the PSF executive director, said his organization has a plan and with the help of CN, the Squamish Nation and Tobe’s group, the plan can lead to recovery of salmo n in the area.

“CN is acting responsibly to assist following the derailment incident, and they have committed to support the plan in the long term,” Kariya said.

Al Lewis, a member of the Squamish Nation who attended the news conference, said it was all talk and he’s going to wait to see what is produced.

According to Lewis, three cycles of salmon were affected: the emerging fry, the young fish in the river ready to start heading to the ocean and the adults returning to the river to spawn. He suggested it will be at least 20 years before the fish can fully recover from the caustic soda spill impacts.

Marshall thanked Lewis for speaking out and Marshall said the comments from Lewis were valuable. Local fishing business owner Rios Sdrakis said the donation to the PSF by CN isn’t enough. “The main thing for me is why is Council so quiet on this issue,” said Sdrakis, owner of the River’s Edge.

Sdrakis said his business grew in each of its first three years of operation and was heading into a make-or-break year. His bread and butter comes from out-of-town visitors but he said he worries those people will stop visiting. He predicted the lasting effects from the spill will be disastrous for some tourism-dependent businesses.

“It doesn’t look good for us,” he said.

Sdrakis said he plans to file a compensation claim with CN. He is putting together the paperwork and providing the corporation with the information it needs to determine whether he qualifies for compensation.

As well, Sdrakis said he has consulted with a lawyer.

Fiona Dyer, the general manager at the Sunwolf Outdoor Centre, said the spill cost her company two weekends’ worth of rafting business on the Cheakamus. Her cabins also sat vacant for a number of days as a direct result of the spill.

“What really pissed me off was the way it was handled,” said Dyer. “If it had been better handled I probably wouldn’t be looking for any compensation.”

No official notice of a problem was given to Sunwolf until 12 hour s after the derailment, she said. Dyer said there should have been official notice much sooner.

People at Sunwolf were using the well water until noon the day of the incident and she said they stopped using the water after unofficial word of the spill reached the centre. Like Sdrakis, Dyer intends to fill out the paperwork CN requires to begin the compensation process.

Meanwhile, Marshall said CN will continue to carry potentially dangerous products such as caustic soda under procedures that allow the rail company to pull trains as long as the one that went off the rails on Aug. 5.

© The Whistler Question 2005