Tag Archives: Mattagami First Nation

Clean-up, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Explosion, Fire, Fish and wildlife, Oil spill, Tar sands crude, Water contamination

Nearly a year and a half later: Here’s why Gogama’s Makami River ‘will never be pristine again’

Repost from CBC News

Here’s why Gogama’s Makami River ‘will never be pristine again’

Small town pushing Ministry of the Environment to require CN to continue clean-up
By CBC News, Aug 10, 2016 7:33 AM ET
Gogama Fire Chief Mike Benson stands by the bridge over the Makami River where an oil train burst into flames in March 2015.
Gogama Fire Chief Mike Benson stands by the bridge over the Makami River where an oil train burst into flames in March 2015. (Erik White/CBC )

The fencing around the site of the Gogama train derailment is coming down today, as the clean-up from the oil spill has been declared complete. But residents say their local waters are still contaminated with oil.

Sheens of oil are commonly seen on the Makami River, over which the oil train derailed in March 2015, as well as lake Minisinakwa, on which the town is built.

People have also found several dead fish in recent weeks and wondered if it’s connected to the spill.

“I understand it’s never going to be pristine again,” says Gogama Fire Chief Mike Benson. “There was no sheen, there was no dead fish, there was no oil spill on Mar. 6, 2015.”

“So, we got to try to get it closer than that. Let’s get it to the point that there’s no fish dying. And I’m not going to die of throat cancer in five years because I’ve been eating the fish out of this lake.”

Benson said CN rail is willing to continue the clean-up, but has been told by the Ministry of Environment that the work is satisfactory.

CN has agreed to let more soil samples be taken from the site and be sent away for independent testing, along with some of the dead fish, at the company’s expense.

In a statement the railroad said that “CN recognizes that local citizens have identified areas of concern, where they believe further clean up should be done in order to protect human and fish populations. CN is today on the ground in Gogama, working with local residents to identify specific areas.”

Gogama derailment site
After a year and a half, the fencing around the site of the train derailment and oil spill near Gogama will come down and it will once again be open to the public. (Erik White/CBC )

Benson said he was surprised to find out over the last year and a half that the railroad was responsible for the environment testing, not the Ministry of the Environment.

“I can’t believe our government tells the fox to test the chickens,” Benson told a public meeting of over 100 people at the Gogama Community Centre, which ministry officials were invited to attend.

“Because that’s basically what they were doing. They were saying ‘OK, you got a mess. Tell us when it’s clean.'”​

Benson said Ministry of Environment officials are aware of the oil slicks in the water, but don’t seem concerned.

“We were going down the lake and we saw oil and he said ‘Well, just because there’s oil doesn’t mean it’s necessarily dangerous,” he said.

Ministry officials may not have been at the meeting on Tuesday night, but they were in Gogama the following day to take water samples on Lake Minisinakwa.

In a statement, the ministry said it “takes the concerns expressed by the citizens of Gogama and Mattagami First Nation very seriously and greatly appreciates direct reports from the citizens of their observations.  These reports enable our staff to respond in a timely manner to collect further information that can be used in guiding further action as appropriate.”

The ministry statement also said that further fish testing in the Gogama area is planned for the fall, but reiterated that the fish tested last fall showed no signs of contamination.

oil sheen in Makami River
Gogama residents regularly see oil floating in the Makami River and other waters downstream from the oil spill. (Erik White/CBC )

Band councillor suggests a protest to shut down the railroad

CN officials had planned to attend the meeting, but were called away at the last minute.

After expressing their frustrations for over an hour, the crowd erupted in applause, when Chad Boissoneau suggested that one way to get attention would be to “shut down” the railroad with a protest.

He is a band councillor in the nearby Mattagami First Nation and has headed up efforts to keep up in the pickerel population in area lakes.

“The clean-up shouldn’t be determined by what MOE feels is satisfactory, the clean-up should be determined by the community members and what’s satisfactory to them. Because we’re the ones that have to live here,” says Boissoneau, adding that oil has yet to be sighted in the waters by the first nation, which is downstream from the spill.

Several people from Timmins, which draws its drinking water from the Mattagami River downstream from the spill, also attended the meeting and there was mention of how these waters run all the way to the James Bay Coast.

public meeting
Over 100 people attended a public meeting at the Gogama Community Centre on Aug. 9 to express their frustrations with the oil clean-up. (Erik White/CBC )

Towards the end of the meeting there was talk of circulating a petition that Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas could table at Queen’s Park and including these downstream communities.

Gelinas said until now people in Gogama were always hesitant to draw too much attention to the oil spill, fearing it would hurt the local tourism industry. But many lodges are reporting a drop in business anyway.

“There was always this reluctance to talk about it too much outside of Gogama,” she says.

It’s hard to get Toronto politicians to care about a little town called Gogama

“If you’re ready to sound the alarm bells, I have no doubt that the people from Sudbury will support you, the people from Timmins will support you and the people from everywhere in Ontario will support you if you’re ready to reach out and speak loud.”

Gelinas said she too has had trouble getting government officials to give time to the concerns of a small town called Gogama.

“If this environmental disaster had happened closer to Toronto, things would have been handled very differently,” she said at the meeting.

Bakken Crude, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Diluted bitumen (Dilbit), Explosion, Fire, Moratorium on oil trains, Oil spill, Oil stabilization, Tar sands crude, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Crude By Rail

OPEN LETTER: Crude by rail unsafe; Valero should withdraw its application

By Roger Straw, March 12, 2015

Crude by rail unsafe; Valero should withdraw its application

To the Editor of The Benicia Herald, and published there on Mar. 12:

Many thanks to Dr. James Egan for his thoughtful letter of March 10, “Timely decision on crude by rail warranted: Deny Valero’s application.”  His local voice amplifies a growing national sentiment, that crude by rail is simply too dangerous at this time.

As Mollie Matteson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity wrote this week, “Before one more derailment, fire, oil spill and one more life lost, we need a moratorium on oil trains and we need it now.  The oil and railroad industries are playing Russian roulette with people’s lives and our environment, and the Obama administration needs to put a stop to it.”

Even as officials in Washington DC are dealing with this crisis (much too slowly), Benicia has a powerful role to play.  We can do our part by denying Valero’s permit.  In fact, Valero can do its part – by acknowledging the horrendous piling up of recent derailments and explosions, the failing infrastructure and the unsafe tank cars, and withdrawing their application for the time being.  That would show real leadership in the oil industry.

Dr. Egan covered most of the issues extremely well, but didn’t mention that the tar-sands crude produced in Alberta Canada has proven volatile on trains as well, with two recent derailments resulting in spills and huge fires within 23 miles of each other outside Gogama, Ontario.  Tar-sands crude starts out as a sticky thick bitumen, and must be diluted with volatile and toxic fluids in order to be pumped into rail cars, a mix that can explode and burn just as Bakken crude explodes and burns when a tank car is ruptured.  The first train exploded outside Gogama on Feb. 14, and the second on March 7.  Those poor folks in Gogama are holding their breath, as the track runs right through town, and the First Nation people who live even closer to the derailments are in shock.  Valero has admitted that it wants permission to ship Bakken crude and tar-sands dilbit by train.

In addition to those two crashes in Ontario, we have seen conflagrations in West Virginia on Feb. 16 and in Illinois on Mar. 5.  You can’t have missed those.  Four “bomb train” explosions in three weeks!

In January 2014, I started a personal blog to keep an eye on crude by rail in the news.  At first, there wasn’t much beyond our local efforts to stop Valero’s proposal “in its tracks.”  Increasingly, the regional and national media have awakened to the health and safety issues that can destroy communities along the rails.  You can’t imagine the absolute flood of media coverage this last three weeks.  I can’t keep up anymore.  I’m picking and choosing which stories to repost [at BeniciaIndependent.com].

The economy of Benicia may very well take a tumble if Valero’s proposal is permitted: housing values may fall and businesses may look to safer locations and relocate.  According to Valero’s own analysis, the few jobs created by introducing oil trains here will be taken up by residents of other Bay Area towns.  New hires will spend most of their money where they live, not here in Benicia.

We need to take the long view – Valero can continue to process crude oil brought in on ships.  The multi-billion dollar industry will weather this minor setback.

Canadian regulation, CPC-1232, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Fire, Rivers, Tar sands crude, Water quality

Gogama derailment – 35 oil tanker cars go off rails — 5 of them into the Makami River

Repost from CBC News

Gogama derailment – 35 oil tanker cars go off rails — 5 of them into the Makami River

Mar 08, 2015 6:14 PM ET

As crews continued to tackle a fire Sunday set off after 35 CN Rail cars carrying oil went off the tracks just outside of Gogama, Ont., the province’s transportation minister and his caucus colleague went after the federal government for its rail safety record.​

“The federal government, responsible for rail safety, must do more to protect our communities and the environment,” tweeted Glenn Thibeault, Liberal MPP for Sudbury and parliamentary assistant to Ontario’s environment minister.

“The rail cars involved are new models, compliant with the latest federal regulations. Yet they still failed to prevent this incident,” Thibeault said in a statement.

Gogama Train Derailment 2
Five of the oil tankers are in the Makami River, four kilometres outside of Gogama. This is the third CN derailment in northern Ontario in less than a month, (@GlennThibeault/Twitter)

​CN Rail has confirmed that five of the 35 tanker cars that detailed are in Makami River, which is part of the Mattagami River System. The train was 94 cars long and all were tanker cars carrying crude oil from Alberta.

Firefighters are working to control the flames and smoke from the burning oil tankers, about four kilometres outside of Gogama.

This is the third CN derailment in northern Ontario in less than a month, and the second in the same area. Crews are still working to clean up a similarly fiery derailment near the community just three weeks ago.

That prompted Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca to say in a statement Sunday that he “will be contacting Federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, CN and CP this week to reiterate our government’s serious concerns with respect to ensuring our railways are safe.”

There’s no sign that drinking water or air quality near the site of the train derailment have been affected, according to CN Rail’s latest update Sunday afternoon.

The company has launched its emergency response plan, bringing in experts in engineering, operating, environment and dangerous goods. CN crews have already started constructing a 460-metre stretch of bypass track to divert around the derailment site.

Chief operating officer Jim Vena apologized to local residents for the disruption caused by the derailment, adding that he is heading to the scene.

‘Very hard to accept’

Rick Duguay, who runs Gogama’s general store, woke early Saturday morning to what he described as a strange banging noise. Duguay has lived in the community his entire and is accustomed to the sound of trains, but said this sound was different.

He’s relieved the derailment happened outside of town.

“Luckily it’s not right here at the railroad crossing, but it’s close enough and very hard to accept the things going on,” Duguay said.

He wants to see changes put in place to make railroads safer, but doesn’t think the two recent crashes are enough to prompt change.

“The worry was always there that a train wreck could happen in town … but I mean, we lived with it all our life.”

Morris Neveau said the two derailments so close together have left many in the Mattagami First Nation, just downstream from the recent derailment, unnerved.

“It affects our thinking and how we live, you know, because we live in fear, eh?”

‘What can we do now?’

Gogama residents spent much of the weekend looking up at the large plume of black smoke looming over the town.

Gogama Train Derailment
CN says indications are that ‘the drinking water supply to Gogama Village and the nearby First Nation are not affected at this time.’ (@GlennThibeault/Twitter)

Dawn Simoneau, 33, said her two daughters have been asking questions about the derailment.

“Like, ‘Are the fish going to be okay?’ and they are concerned as well,” said  .

Simoneau, a life-long Gogama resident, has lived her entire life with trains rumbling past and an ever-present fear that something might happen.

“This is just always the way it’s been. And now … we’re thinking, ‘What can we do now to make sure this doesn’t happen again?'”

The derailment has some residents talking about the Energy East oil pipeline, which has faced opposition in other parts of northern Ontario.

Nickel Belt New Democrat MP Claude Gravelle said he didn’t want to get into that debate while visiting Gogama on Saturday.

“Well, that’s a different discussion for a different day, but there certainly are some concerns about pipelines. But there are concerns about rail cars. What’s the safest? Accidents are accidents.”

The intense heat of the fire has kept investigators away from the site so far, but investigators hope to find some answers Sunday about how much oil was spilled and what caused the derailment.

With files from The Canadian Press
Crude By Rail, Derailment, Explosion, Fire, Rivers, Smoke

LATEST DERAILMENT: Another Ontario derailment and fire, only 23 miles from Feb 14 fire

Repost from CBC News
[Editor: I almost missed this one – who’d have thought there would be a SECOND big accident near Gogama, Ontario in less than a month?!  Interesting interviews with local residents.  See local coverage at Timmins Press.  – RS]

Train carrying crude oil derails near Gogama, Ont.

This is the 4th train derailment in northern Ontario this year

Mar 07, 2015 12:58 PM ET
Gogama derailment cropped
A train carrying crude oil derailed near Gogama, Ont., on Saturday morning, and several cars caught fire. (Ontario Provincial Police)

A train carrying crude oil derailed near Gogama, Ont., on Saturday morning, and several cars caught fire. (Ontario Provincial Police)

Several cars have caught fire after a Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil derailed in northern Ontario, prompting officials to advise nearby residents to stay indoors and avoid consuming water from local sources.

Ontario Provincial Police were called to the scene at approximately 2:45 a.m. ET. The Transportation Safety Board said 30 to 40 cars derailed four kilometres southwest of Gogama, Ont., and there were no initial reports of injuries

Several cars have caught fire, police said, and others entered the Mattagami River System.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation and the Ministry of Environment has been notified.

Residents of Mattagami First Nation are being advised not to consume water from the community source for the time being. Residents of Gogama and Mattagami First Nation are being asked to stay inside until further notice due to possible smoke inhalation.

CN Rail said emergency crews are conducting a full site assessment and activating the emergency response plan with local officials.

The owner of the Gogama Village Inn said she is thankful the winds are blowing in a different direction. She said she fears smoke from the fire could force the town to be evacuated.

Derailment not far from inn

Roxanne Veronneau said the site of the derailment is approximately two kilometres from her Inn.

“I look out my window here at the Inn and all I see is the smoke in the distance. I could see it at four o’clock in the morning. It makes you feel rather uncomfortable knowing that wow, hopefully there is not going to be a next time and that our town will be safe. But when you see like, 100 cars, I don’t know, 70 cars of crude oil coming right down the middle of your town, the thought crosses your mind when you see what’s happened in Quebec.”

Veronneau said her Inn was already full of workers who were dealing with the cleanup of the derailment that happened last month. “Once again the town is crawling with transports and machinery trying to get it under control.”

The town has come together to help, said Veronneau. She said she’s been coordinating to get anything workers need.

“One guy went and brought life jackets and paddles,” she said. “He came back to get ice augers, our snow machines. We are helping, doing whatever it takes to get this under control.”

Local MPP heads to site

NDP MPP for the region France Gélinas said she was travelling to the site after speaking to members of the local services board and residents of Gogama.

“They are courageous and scared,” said Gélinas. “This is the second derailment near their town and this one is very close. People can talk pictures of the black smoke from their homes.”

Natalie Gaudette with the local services board said there is no immediate danger to residents and CN officials are on site doing air quality tests.

Highway 144 at Highway 661 at the Watershed is closed, as is Highway 101 at Highway 144. There is access to communities north of Gogama by way of the Cache.

This is the fourth CN Rail derailment in northern Ontario this year.

A train derailed last month, spilling crude oil and forcing the closure of the rail line.