Archives for July 29, 2020

An employee of the contractor that operates the Osoyoos Landfill was taken to hospital after inadvertently crushing a container of chlorine that had been improperly disposed.

On July 28 at 1020am, Osoyoos RCMP responded to a medical emergency at the Osoyoos Landfill. A contractor’s employee compacting freshly dumped waste drove over a container of solid chlorine pucks that is believed to have been disposed of contrary to landfill regulations and the disposal of hazardous wastes.

The employee immediately suffered a medical emergency after inhaling some of the discharge from the pucks. He was able to remove himself from the area and call for help.

BC Ministry of Environment attended to assess the measures taken to isolate the area while waiting for the response contractor to arrive, while Work Safe BC inspected the site to determine how the spill occurred and to ensure compliance with occupational health and safety requirements.

Fortunately the affected employee as well as the rest of the employees were experienced in how to handle unexpected spills and their quick actions saved the affected employee from further injury.

The Town contacted an environmental agency who attended the Landfill and packaged the damaged pail and chlorine pucks in a UN rated poly drum and took them for proper disposal. The loader that contacted the chemical was cleaned by the agency and they inspected the area to determine if there were any more distributed in the area.

It is clear this spill was caused by someone improperly disposing of a pail of solid chlorine pucks into the Town’s waste system, said Sgt Jason Bayda, Osoyoos RCMP Commander. This should be a reminder to all that disposing of hazardous materials into a waste container can cause serious injury or death to those working with the garbage down the line. Hazardous materials need to be disposed through the proper disposal/recycling process.

New protocol

60 students in a ‘group’ in elementary and middle schools

120 students in a ‘group’ in high schools

Groups are not classes but students in any school will be – divided into these “student” groups that may see kids only in class or in school social settings.

Take an elementary school of 300 students – the day, the hours, the operations will be divided into the five groups.

Example – using above only 60 elementary students would play together outside – not the entire school.

The number goes up in high school as students likely to understand better – hygiene and social distancing.

More later on ODN

***

The B.C. government says most students will return to school for full-time in-person classes in September.

The restart will see students from kindargarten through to Grade 12 back in class on Sept. 8.

“The classroom is an essential part of a child’s social, academic and mental development, and that’s why we are working hard to ensure students can safely spend the next school year with their teachers and classmates,” said Education Minister Rob Fleming on Wednesday.

As part of the school restart, students will be divided into “learning groups” which are comprised of a consistent group of students and staff members.

According to the provincial government, the consistency of learning groups will help reduce the risk of transmission spreading quickly within a school and will help health authorities perform faster contact tracing, should a COVID-19 exposure be found.

Meanwhile, the B.C. government plans to spend $45.6 million to help schools prepare for the school year.

The funding will go towards covering increased cleaning expenses, the installation of more hand-washing stations and for supplies like masks.

As schools reopen to in-person learning, staff, students and their families are asked to monitor themselves daily for symptoms of COVID-19 and to remain at home if they feel at all unwell.

The B.C. government says it is continuing to develop operating guidelines for schools, which are being informed by a steering committee that includes teachers, parents, support staff, Indigenous rightsholders, the public health sector and other relevant parties.

The province says that families can expect to hear from their school district or independent school for further updates on their specific facilities as the summer progresses.

_ Quebec: 59,073 confirmed ( 5,670 deaths, 50,886 resolved)

_ Ontario: 38,986 confirmed (2,769 deaths, 34,741 resolved)

_ Alberta: 10,470 confirmed (187 deaths, 8,886 resolved)

_ British Columbia: 3,523 confirmed (194 deaths, 3,076 resolved)

_ Saskatchewan: 1,218 confirmed (17 deaths, 907 resolved)

_ Nova Scotia: 1,067 confirmed (63 deaths, 1,004 resolved)

_ Manitoba: 391 confirmed (8 deaths, 319 resolved)

_ Newfoundland and Labrador: 266 confirmed (3 deaths, 259 resolved)

_ New Brunswick: 170 confirmed (2 deaths, 165 resolved)

_ Prince Edward Island: 36 confirmed (including 36 resolved) no deaths

_ Yukon: 14 confirmed (including 11 resolved) no deaths

_ Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved) no deaths

_ Nunavut: No confirmed cases – no deaths

Left to right:

Andrew Reeder – RDOS Manager of Operations
Michelle Weisheit, Chair – Water Committee – Willowbrook
Rick Knodel, Rural Area C – RDOS

Willowbrook Boil Water Notice lifted

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has completed upgrades to the Willowbrook water system and has lifted the Boil Water Notice. The RDOS installed a chlorinator and chlorine tank at the Willowbrook pump station as part of the project. A Groundwater at Risk of Pathogens (GARP) study shows only chlorine is required to treat water in Willowbrook, and secondary treatment is not required at this time. Andrew Reeder, RDOS Manager of Operations says the upgrade will save Willowbrook residents between $500,000 and $600,000.

The Willowbrook water system is located within Electoral Area “C” between Oliver and Okanagan Falls. It provides drinking water and irrigation water to approximately 80 connections. “The improvements to the Willowbrook water system were completed with 100% grant funding,” says Area “C” Director Rick Knodel. “The work will not result in any tax increases for residents.”

“Lifting the Boil Water Notice is welcome news for all Willowbrook residents,” says Michelle Weisheit, chair of Willowbrook Water Advisory Committee. “We appreciate the time and effort that has gone into completing this project.”

Ownership of the Willowbrook water system was transferred from Willowbrook Utilities Ltd to the RDOS in 2016. The water source for Willowbrook water is a groundwater well which pumps into the distribution system to a reservoir on a nearby property. The reservoir feeds the distribution system of approximately 4.5 km of pipe, by gravity to each connection.

Background

The project funded primarily from Gas Tax Funding – so all the capital costs not bourne by local residents.

The Regional District’s current priority is focused on providing sufficient treatment that will allow the Boil Water Notice to be lifted for the system. A chlorine dosing system was added in 2018, however to be effective in disinfection, a chlorine contact system is required to extend the contact time of the chlorine before the treated water would reach the first service connection. With the installation of a chlorine contact time system, the water system will be able to protect against viruses (4-log removal) and bacteria (E. coli, fecal coliforms, and total coliforms).

Funding for the chlorine contact system installation is being provided through an allocation RDOS Electoral Area “C” – Community Works Gas Tax Funds from the Area Director. In August 2019, Associated Engineering started on the design for the Chlorine contact time system with construction planned for early 2020.

For the past few weeks I have been spending time with my daughter, on Vancouver Island, she lives in a smallish village with very pretty town centre. The town council have decided to keep box stores and franchises out of their community so it is really enjoyable to browse round the assortment of small, mainly family owned, stores all of which seem to be thriving in the busy little village.

Qualicum Beach is largely a retirement community and it was pleasing to see so many or the shoppers putting on their masks before entering stores. There are fairly strict Covid protocols being adhered to with hand sanitizer prominently placed by the doorway and one way systems in effect where possible. I was however, shocked to see that nearly every store had a sign stating that abusive or threatening behaviour to staff members would not be tolerated.

It seems so unlikely that this apparently peaceful, law abiding community would need to have these sort of signs posted. However I witnessed two upsetting events where a staff member was belittled and verbally abused. The first was in the local thrift store, one of my favourite haunts, where the staff are all volunteers. I was waiting to pay for my new (to me) outfit and observing protocol by standing on the line of tape, when an man, my age, came inside the store and walked straight past the hand sanitizer, with its large “please use” sign, The clerk called to the man to please use the sanitizer. He refused saying it was poisonous, so she offered him a pair of new, plastic gloves from a full box of gloves, sitting on the counter. He came out with a string of abuse about controlling women and ridiculous rules, he ended with the F word, then turned and left.

I felt a bit shaken and I was not even on the receiving end of his diatribe, the clerk was also about my age and obviously upset but she said it was all part of the job and most people were nice. The other instance was at the grocery store with someone who was asked to not put her reusable bags on the counter, to fill them. She remarked that for years, the store had been encouraging people to use them and went on to complain about stupid rules and regulations in a very loud voice. Not particularly offensive but how often do clerks hear this sort of grumbling every day.

While I certainly understand the frustrations of having to deal with all the restrictions of today’s world, and wonder how happy we will be in winter, if we have to stand, shivering in line, outside the bank or drug store, this is part of our world until a vaccine is not only created, but widely used, and we had better learn to make the best of it. Acceptance is not giving up ones rights, it is common decency, and if you don’t like having to deal with it, there are ways to avoid it. Almost anything can be ordered on line and delivered right to your door, including groceries, Restaurants offer delivery so if you don’t like the way things are, you have alternatives. I also have rights, those of being able to shop in peace, without listening to you spouting off about rules. If you don’t like the way things are, stay home or go and live off the grid and hunt for your food, I don’t think there are rules posted in the bush!

Pat Whalley