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No complaints about having freighters around

Having them around a price that must be paid on a working coast
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I live in Saltair and have been here for 45 years and I also lived here in my teen years on the water in Saltair.

I do wish that when people start their committees in the area that they would get “all the facts” put out there.

For many years now, the orca pods have not been around. Why? No fish for them and it’s not because over the years that there were freighters in the area. We have always had freighters in these areas. The pods many, many years ago did come through the area once a year, but they do not come any more because there are no salmon. Salmon fishing has been long gone from this area. It’s the same with the eagles, they want fish and it’s not here anymore. The herons, we never really had that many of them at one time but they still do come around on the beach.

I have lived on and near the beach for over 50 years at different times. The freighters have always come into this area for the line-up to get into Vancouver Port. They anchor and wait in line for their spot for Vancouver dockage.

Our coast is a working coast and people have to realize that if cargo-containing freighters stop coming the produce or items they are carrying will go up in price.

I believe if you get in touch with the government you will find out why there are more freighters bringing in products.

I think what upsets me and many other Saltair residents is that the paper and news media only tell one side of the story. There are so many other residents in this area that the sight of the freighters is a happy view. As for the noise of a working freighter, it’s part of the job. As for the lights, I have not heard of any complaints. Many people say they don’t hear them pulling up and going away.

How often do you hear from the people of North and West Vancouver complaining about the ships? A lot of the houses in those areas are looking out at them all the time.

I don’t understand people buying waterfront property and homes if they are just going to turn around and complain about the traffic, noise and lights, etc. from the freighters. Maybe they should have thought about that before they bought.

The freighters do the best they can. My husband worked on the deep sea container ships in the 1970s and before this date, too. They do the best they can and, of course, the rules and regulations that they have today are in place for all freighters and container ships and are very strict rules.

As for the picture of someone on the container freighter pouring ‘something’ over the side, the company said it was a mix of different water. But the complainers want to make this picture out to be more than what it really is.

I hope the next time an article is put out there about the freighters and complaints from the area that the media source digs deeper and asks people of the area and not just the complaining group of a few.

Islay Brand

Saltair



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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