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Boyle to step up safety around ammonia at rink after Fernie deaths

On the heels of the Fernie, B.C. rink disaster last month – where three arena staff members died from an ammonia leak – Village of Boyle staff will be ramping up their safety measures. In a presentation to Boyle council during their Nov.

On the heels of the Fernie, B.C. rink disaster last month – where three arena staff members died from an ammonia leak – Village of Boyle staff will be ramping up their safety measures.

In a presentation to Boyle council during their Nov. 1 meeting, public works superintendent Alex Neumann said the Fernie incident was a “wake up call for all of us.”

“With this refrigerant we’re using with the ammonia, it’s an inherent … it’s a bad thing. It’s a bad gas,” he said. “Inherently, we have to ramp up our safety at the arena because of that.”

Neumann added he would be bringing in ammonia experts to do additional training with rink staff.

Chief administrative officer Charlie Ashbey said the scary thing about the Fernie incident was “these were not inexperienced people.”

“These were very highly qualified people and it shows you the volatility and danger in ammonia that even highly trained people got caught with it,” he said.

Neumann said he already has safety protocols in place, but would like to step it up.

Mayor Colin Derko said after something like this happens, as Boyle has a rink that also uses ammonia gas in its cooling system, “it’s going to be due diligence to ensure our staff are protected and educated.”

“It’s good you’re doing all that, because after something like that happens ...”

“... It was a wake up call for all of us,” Neumann finished.

Council passed a motion that Urban Systems Engineering will proceed with an off-site levy bylaw for a housing development proposal in the village.

Ashbey said in an interview there is a proposed development within the village that “could add a number of proposed residential lots.”

The developer has already bought a 20-acre parcel land. Ashbey said the development is still in its infancy, but if everything goes as planned, the developer would begin construction in spring 2018.

“It would be a nice thing to happen because it would ensure some growth in Boyle and some assessment, but it is pretty speculative right now,” he said.

The motion was made by Coun. Shelby Kiteley, and was unanimously approved.

The Summer Village of Mewatha and Boyle are nearly complete in transferring land ownership of the Skeleton Lake pump house from Boyle to the summer village.

After an in-camera session, Ferguson moved that Boyle sign the agreement, and once Mewatha has also signed the agreement Ashbey instruct legal council to “discharge the caveat from the title to the lands.”

Mewatha Mayor Barry Walker said in an interview the summer village has been pressing the village to complete the agreement for some time, and they are “just finalizing the arrangements now.”

He added the pump house will be demolished, and the summer village council is just trying to figure out what to do with the reserve land.

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