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EDITORIALARCHIVES15YearsAgo...DuctTapestickswithawinningformulaDuctTapeOmnimediaaYellowknifemulti-mediacompanyhaswonentrepre-neuroftheYearAwardfromtheBusinessDevelopmentBankofCanada.TheBDCYoungEntrepreneurAwardsrecognizesoutstandingbusinesspeopleaged29oryoungerfromeachprovinceandterritory.IssueOctober27199820YearsAgo...FirearmscoursehashuntershittingthebooksEmilyOverboChiefTerritorialFirearmsOfcersaidthatunderthenewregulationsanyoneapplyingforaFirearmsAcquisitionCerticatewillhavetobeabletoprovethattheyknowtherearmslawandtheyknowhowtousearearm.IssueOctober27199330YearsAgo...ComincoGNWTtosupplyteacherStudentsatMatonabeeSchoolinPinePointrecentlywentonstriketodemandtheappointmentofaFrenchteacher.IssueOctober2719834TheNorthernJournalisanindependentnewspapercoveringnewsandeventsinthewesternArcticandnorthernAlberta.VisittheJournalonlineatwww.norj.caAnzacAtikamegBrownvaleCadotteLakeChardChetehColdLakeConklinDriftpileDufeldEdmontonEnildaEnochFortChipewyanFortMcKayFortMcMurrayFortVermillionFrogLakeGlenevisGoodshLakeGrandePrairieGrouardHighLevelHighPrarieHytheJohnDorPrairieAvailableinAlbertaatAklavikBehchokoColvilleLakeDelineEaglePlainsEkatieDiamondMinesEnterpriseFortGoodHopeFortLiardFortMcPhersonFortProvidenceFortResolutionFortSimpsonFortSmithGametiHayRiverInuvikJeanMarieRiverLutselKeNahanniButteNormanWellsPaulatukTheNorthernJournalisavailableinthefollowingNWTcommunitiesRaeEdzoSachsHarbourTroutLakeTsiigehtchicTuktoyaktukTulitaUlukhaktokWekwetiWhaTiWrigleyYellowknifeKehewinKinusoLacLaBicheMornvillePeaceRiverRedEarthCreekSaddleLakeSlaveLakeSt.PaulValleyviewWabasca2013CCNABLUERIBBONCANADIANCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD2013CMCAAUDITEDAdvertisingDeadlinesDisplayaddeadlineisThursdayat400p.m.ClassiedaddeadlineisThursdayat500p.m.Emailadsnorj.caSubscriptionRates867872-3000PricesincludeGST.47.25inFortSmith52.50elsewhereinCanada105intheUSAoverseas164.30.LetterstotheEditorPolicyTheNorthernJournalwelcomesletterstotheeditor.Lettersmustbesignedandincludeaphonenumbersotheauthorcanbeveried.Nameswillbewithheldonrequestinspecialcircumstanceswherethereasonsaredeterminedtobevalid.TheJournalreservestherighttoeditlettersforlengthlibelclarityandtaste.Opinionsexpressedinlettersandcolumnsarenotnecessarilythoseofthepublisheroreditor.PublishedweeklybyCascadePublishingLtd.PrintedonrecyclednewsprintwithvegetableinkatWainwrightStarChronicle.PublisherManagingEditorDonJaque867-872-3000ext.21donnorj.caEditor...........................MeaganWohlberg867-872-3000ext.24newsnorj.caReporter..............................MariaChurch867-872-3000ext.25reporternorj.caComptroller...........................DixiePenner867-872-3000ext.23dixnorj.caAdvertising....................JoshuaJorgensen867-872-3000ext.15salesnorj.caEzraBlack867-872-3000ext20adsnorj.caAdministration................JeremyTurcotte867-872-3000ext.20adminnorj.caProductionGraphics.......SandraJaque867-872-3000ext.22sandranorj.caPaulBannister867-872-3000ext.27graphicsnorj.caAnnaSierra867-872-3000ext.26designnorj.caTuesdayOctober292013Whichdoyouthinkissafershippingcrudeoilandoilsandsbitumenbyrail-roadinatankercarorinapipelineMostpeoplebelievepipelinesaresafer.Theyarenotroutedthroughareasofcon-centratedpopulationwherepeoplemightdieinanaccident.Whilepipelinesleakcreatingdestructivemessesonlandorinwaterbodiesresultinginenvironmentaldisastersrarelyarepeoplekilled.Rail-roadtankercarsontheotherhandcrashintothingsandblowup.Extensivedam-agetopropertycanresultandtoooftenpeopledie.Allrailroadsbynaturerunthroughtownsandcities-usuallytheheartofthem-andthatiswheremostcollisionshappenwherethereisswitch-ingbetweenmultipletracks.Movingcrudeheavyoilorbitumenfromsourcetomarketisessentialtoourcurrenteconomy.Becausebotharesofraughtwithproblemstheyhavebecomeanecessaryevil.Thedeci-siontheniswhichisthelesserevilRailroadtankercarswillsoonrequiredoublehullstodecreasethepossi-bilityofthemrupturinginacollisioncausinganexplosionandfire.ThatstemsfromtheterribleexplosionatLac-MeganticQue.inearlyAugust.Yetnoamountofsteelwillstoptankercarsfrombeingvulnerableinahighspeedcrash.Thedemandforoilisin-creasingandCanadasroleasanoilexporterisgrowingsothevolumesbeingmovedwillincreaseexponen-tiallyandtheriskaswell.OppositiontopipelineshasbecomemainstreambecauseoftheinordinatenumberofspillsinthelasttwoyearsAcrudewayofdoingthingsthathavefouledextensiveareas.FourmajorCanadianpipelineprojectsin-cludingtheKeystoneXLintheUSarestalledbecauseofpubliccon-cern.Thereissomuchoppositionthoseprojectsmaybehaltedforever.Evenifapprovedafterscrutinytheymaybeblockedbycivildisobedience.Theyhavetocrosscountlessjuris-dictionsandanyonecouldstopthewholeproject.Pipelineswillalwaysleak.Theyareputtogetherbypeopleandhumanerrorisalwaysafactor.Theyarealsosubjecttoearthquakesmudslidesandfrostheave.Therearesomanyofthemofsuchlengththereareboundtobeleaksandruptures.Mostcommonlyapinholeinapoorweldorflawedmetalexpandsundetectedandamajorspillensues.Whatisnotbeingconsideredisthatallpipelineshavelimitedlife.Theywearoutfromcorrosionorotherforces.Astheyreachend-of-lifeweakpointsfail.Theproblemwillworsenovertimeandeventuallythingswillgetreallyugly.Oursocietyseemstobenaivelyhappytoliveinthemomentandpayforwardallourproblems.Agingpipelinein-frastructurewillbeonethatbitesourchildrenandgrandchildreninthebutt.Theywillnotbepleased.Stoppingpipelinespreventingtheproductfromgettingtomarket-hasbecomeatacticofenvironmentalac-tivists.Thetargetmaybefrackingoilsandsindustryexpansionorthebroaderissueofglobalwarmingfromfossilfuels.Concernovertransportofoilandbitumeninrailcarscomesmorefromordinarypeoplehorrifiedthatterriblydangeroussubstancesareallowedintotheircommunitiesthreat-eningthesecurityoftheirfamilies.Dangerousgoodshavelongbeentransportedinlargequantitiesbyrailanacceptedandentrenchedpractice.Thevolumesbeingshippedhavein-creaseddramaticallyhoweverandsohavetherisks.Whatisthesolution-Switchingfromfossilfuelstogreenenergyisinevitablebutwillnothappensoon.Likeitornotoursisacarbon-basedeconomy.Jobssmallcompanieslargecorporationsgovernmentrevenueandeconomicstimulusallbenetfromit.Movingpetroleumproductstomarketwillcontinue.-Pipelinesarebetterthanrailtrans-portintermsofhumanriskbutthereisnosuchthingasaperfectpipelineonethatwillneverleakandlastsforever.Theymustbevastlyimprovedbuilttohigherstandardswithbettermaterialsandwithadvancedjoiningtechniques.Theirinteg-ritymustbemonitoredovertimeandaspipelinesnearend-of-lifetheymustbedecommissionedandremoved.Thecostsmustbeincorporatedintoconstructionsimilartominereclamation.Ourconclusionisasithasbeensomanytimesinsimilarpreviousdiscus-sionstheanswertoallthisisforindustrytobemoreresponsibleandforgovern-mentstoensurethattheyareputtinginplacestringentrequirementsandforcingindustryaccountability.Unfortunatelynoneofthatseemstobehappening.PhotosPaulBannisterRetiringemployeeGailBourkegetssomelovefromAuroraCollegepresidentJaneArychukleftandCelestineStarlingrightduringherretirementpartylastFridayinFortSmith.Bourkeworkedfor27yearsatthecollegesThebachacampusasaccountingservicesofcer.