Catalyst investigates spill
A minor spill of ground limestone caused by equipment failure at Catalyst Paper Corporation’s Powell River operations has been reported to regulatory authorities, according to company vice-president and mill general manager Fred Chinn.
Chinn said the incident occurred on Saturday, February 4.
“We had an unforeseeable equipment failure that resulted in a relatively minor discharge of ground limestone into a storm drain,” said Chinn. He added the limestone is not harmful to people or the environment.
In paper-making, the stone material is used to increase paper brightness, buffer alkalinity and for some opacity.
An investigation has been launched to identify the cause of the spill and the incident has been reported to the environment ministry, said Chinn.
Queen of Burnaby sells
Bidding closed on the sale of BC Ferries’ Queen of Burnaby on Tuesday, February 14.
The ferry corporation put the 52-year-old vessel, which operates across the Strait of Georgia between Powell River and Comox, for online auction on govdeals.com in December. Starting bid for the Burnaby was $400,000.
The Burnaby is expected to go out of service at the end of March when its replacement, Salish Orca, steps in.
In the ship’s listing, BC Ferries states that all equipment for the vessel “is maintained to acceptable industry standards on an ongoing basis.”
The sale price of the vessel was not disclosed.
