Newsmakers of the year

As the calendar rolls over to 2010, The Gulf News took a look back at the people and organizations that made headlines over the past year.

Fires and the volunteers that fight them were a theme of many stories in 2009. While several southwest coast communities dealt with flames, as well as issues around equipment and volunteers, the Port aux Basques Volunteer Fire Department tops the newsmakers of the year list for 2009.

The Atlantic Vision sails into second place on the newsmakers list. While Marine Atlantic has held a spot on the newsmakers list for the past two years, this year's honour was specific to the newest vessel in the fleet.

Dropping from first place in 2008 to third place on this year's list is waste management.

Port aux Basques Volunteer Fire Department

Last year had only just begun when members of the Port aux Basques Volunteer Fire Department were called into action.

In January the town suffered a major water line break and subsequent water loss and state of emergency. The fire department was part of the effort to supply water to the hospital as well as other community contributions.

Just a week later, residents were relived the water was restored to Port aux Basques when the fire department was called on to fight the blaze that eventually claimed an industrial park business. High winds and freezing temperatures hampered the efforts as well as making the situation potentially dangerous for the firefighters who not only fought the flames, but hypothermia as well.

In 2009, the department officially bid goodbye to long-time chief Bob Keeping who moved out of the community. Experienced volunteer Jerry Musseau was welcomed to the top job and Tony Anderson, another dedicated member, stepped up to take the assistant chief's position.

In February the call went out looking for new volunteers to fill spots left vacant by retiring members and those working outside the community.

Over the course of the year those volunteers were called out many times to battle house fires throughout Port aux Basques. Damage ranged from more minor smoke issues to complete loss of structures and one death.

The firefighters' contributions to the community were honoured in April at the annual Fireman's Ball.

The department also started looking for a new piece of equipment for its arsenal - a thermal imaging camera to help identify areas of heat through smoke, darkness and obstructions.

In August, the town began seeking the funding to pay for the $15,000 camera.

The firefighters also held several fundraisers to help secure a new support vehicle to carry various equipment to fire scenes.

The department rented a cube van in 2009 after the previous vehicle did not pass inspection the previous year.

Volunteers were part of the emergency response to the bomb threat at Marine Atlantic in October. Later that month, 15 members spent some time in fire school in Stephenville learning new techniques to fire fires and stay safe.

The department again ended the year by organizing the annual Santa Claus parade in the gateway town.

Atlantic Vision

Marine Atlantic's newest vessel was also the source of many stories throughout 2009.

Early in the year, residents were waiting to get their first up close look at the new charter vessel. The Vision was scheduled to be in Corner Brook for the East Coast Music Association's celebrations in February, but cancelled those plans due to operational challenges.

The vessel made its debut in Port aux Basques Harbour in late February while doing its sea trials. Residents lined the roadways and the town's high spots to get good views of the largest ship in the fleet completing a smooth docking maneuver around Vardy's Island.

The ship entered service between Port aux Basques and North Sydney in April, but its future was being debated even before its first run was complete. Local residents, joined by others on the west coast, protested the idea the Vision may be moved to the Argentia run in 2010.

A five-hour delay marred the vessel's first crossing, but didn't seem to negatively affect passengers who spoke to The Gulf News after getting off the ferry in Port aux Basques. Many spoke of the high quality food and interior of the vessel.

A special reception and public tours were offered onboard the vessel in mid-April. More cabins, an upscale feel and buffet and restaurant style food services were some of the differences noted from the other vessels in the fleet.

The Vision had a close call in late June when it unexpectedly veered off course while pulling away from the dock in Port aux Basques. The ship briefly headed for the government wharf and scraped the bottom of the harbour before being guided back to the dock. After a short delay the Vision departed without further incident.

In August, the vessel suffered a second fire in one of its thermal heating units. Another fire in the same type of unit occurred in December 2008. The fire caused delays in the middle of the already busy summer travel season.

Marine Atlantic faced delays caused by various issues throughout the summer, including needing a longer than anticipated time in port for the Vision to clean its many cabins.

The company also decided it would not allow more than one vessel to dock in Port aux Basques if one of those ships was the Vision due to its size. That meant that despite having a second dock, there were times when one ferry still had to wait for another to unload, load and leave port before docking, creating more delays.

The Vision also faced criticism for the limited number of passengers without cabins it could accommodate. Some passengers felt they were forced into buying a cabin if they wanted to travel on certain crossings serviced by the Vision.

Company management asked for passengers' patience while it worked out the kinks with the newest vessel in the fleet. President and CEO Wayne Follet said the Vision was the best choice for the gulf service based on the limited number of vessels available throughout the world for charter or purchase.

The ship collided with the dock in Port aux Basques twice over the course of the year. Once in August when it received as 12-inch scrape and again days before Christmas when a hole was punctured in the stern.

The Vision was also the target of the bomb threat in October. The ship remained docked in Port aux Basques and a search reveled the threat to be a hoax.

The ship also featured in the auditor general's report on the company released in November. The report said planning for the vessel was inadequate and the charter will end up costing more than anticipated.

Waste management

While ongoing for several years, the move to regional waste management was again a newsmaker of the year along the southwest coast.

In January, Port aux Basques had been given an extension to continue using its incinerator until June 30. Plans were being made to form the regional council or committee that would begin addressing concerns and making decisions.

The consultant's recommendation that the Doyle's incinerator site be used for the interim site for southwest coast garbage until the regional supersite is ready in 2016 was raising controversy. Codroy Valley residents said the site was unsuitable due to its proximity to a salmon river, berry picking grounds and small size.

In April, Burgeo and Ramea were considering their options for interim waste management. A consultant's report laid out two options - truck the waste to a new dumpsite outside Burgeo or all the way to Corner Brook. Incinerators in both communities were set to close in June.

Outport communities continued to talk to the province about what the isolated locations would have to due to deal with their trash.

Also in April, Port aux Basques voiced frustration that the province hadn't responded to requests for funding to complete the necessary environmental assessment of the Doyles site. The council noted it would have to ask for another extension on the incinerator closure due to the delays.

The province announced in May the Doyle site was off the table and the Port aux Basques incinerator site would likely be used as an interim landfill location.

Later that month, the Port aux Basques Town Council was voicing frustration over the lack of cooperation from Codroy Valley Waste Management Chair Dave Johnson.

The town felt Mr. Johnson's side conversations with provincial government officials were part of the reason for delays in getting answers from those departments. Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson expressed frustration at what he called the lack of information coming from Port aux Basques to other southwest coast communities.

In June, a public meeting was held to describe what the future of waste management across the west coast may look like. Although no members of the public attended, consultants talked to local municipal leaders about the proposed sites for the regional supersite, tipping fees, transfer sites, and recycling and composting.

Port aux Basques' incinerator continued to smoke after June 30 despite the expiry of the town's permit to operate it. After months of delays, the town was working to have the needed environmental assessment of the site completed before it could be turned into a temporary landfill.

The Codroy Valley shut down its incinerator and began landfilling its waste. Burgeo and Ramea both received extensions to continue to operate until Nov. 30. Francois was granted an extension to continue using its incinerator until June 2010.

The municipal elections in September decimated the regional waste management committee and Chair Gilbert Smart said in October he was hoping the Minister of Municipal Affairs would reappoint people to the committee by November.

The Port aux Basques Town Council was again calling for a conclusion to the waste management mess in November.

After a meeting between representative form local communities and the provincial government, it remained unclear if the province was willing to confirm if the Port aux Basques incinerator site would be turned into the sub-regional transfer site.

Representatives of the Codroy Valley seemed to be the single dissenting voice. Indications were that a site in the valley was being considered for the transfer site that would be used once the regional supersite is operational.

Without assurances of future plans, the majority of communities were unwilling to move forward as planning for the future would be made impossible.

The location of that supersite was also called into question in November when it was suggested that all west coast trash could be trucked to the waste management site in central.

In December, Burgeo announced it would be trucking its waste to St. George's until 2016. Ramea was considering if it would do the same.

editor@gulfnews.ca