Canada prepares for the U.S. election debacle

“Fuck Canada. Look who they elected,”

Harsh words coming from a guy who voted for Obama. Twice.

FM

Easy peasy. BawstonBob can’t help himself.

Fucking near water…….

Otto says:

“I like his bit about race, whitest fuckin place left, except for Van of course, virtual colonization there, maybe you Canuk’s need a wall too….”

Don’t give up on Van because of race. Most of the immigrants (legal) moving there are Asians (Chinese and Koreans for the most part) and Sikhs. The Asians are wealthy and start businesses, build churches and schools and a lot of them vote conservative. The Sikhs are somewhat similar, tend to vote a mix of liberal and conservative but despise Islam. They all like guns. When TSHTF we’ll be glad they are around because as conservative Europeans they will be better allies than liberal Europeans who live in some sort of fantasy land where unicorns shit rainbows and piss lollipops. It’s not what they look like – it’s how they think that matters. Whether the indigenous white population knows it or not an awful lot of those folks are our natural political allies – even if they talk funny and smell like curry…. seriously though I think we can live just fine together but separately – as we tend to. It’s not like having a bunch of illiterate Somali Muslims move in next door.

Rob writes:

“I’ll be pissed too though as I’m a Habs Fan.”

Jeees! Rob. And I was really starting to like you…. 🙂

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Yeah I guess. I blame it on my Dad. He is Bleu, Blanc et Rouge to the core. Here is picture from back when I was still a hockey star. From Left to right.

Me, my Brother Doug, my Cousin Paul and my brother Andy.

As for it being akin to being a Yankees fan, I’ll say maybe it was the case. These days you have to be a bit of a Masochist to cheer for that team. There was a time when it was easy but that was when they were winning Cups year after year. It is now 23 years and counting. The team and it’s fans are now entering the twilight zone that is Leaf Nation. 10 years ago it was easy to make fun of Leaf fans. Now not so much.

FM I still like you even though I suspect you are a Leaf Fan. 🙂

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Picture of FM and best friend at recent Leaf game….

Still if Leaf can land home town boy Stamkos maybe they can turn a page. I can’t see myself ever rooting for that team but the way Montreal is scuffling along better them winning than Bawston.

Now there is a team that I can’t stand……

🙂

Rob,

I’m afraid it’s far worse than that.

Go Canucks!

Talk about masochism….

nkit

none that I have heard.

My own opinion on what is needed to fix team is they need to draft bigger forwards. Bigger isn’t necessarily better they still have to score but they have enough smurfs that can skate as it is now.

I doubt that he will end up in Montreal. I’d say odds are that the best place for him to land is in Ottawa. Most French Canadians would rather play somewhere else than Montreal. Fans there put way too much pressure on local boys who speak French. I was just in Montreal. Don’t get me wrong I love the city but language is still a hot button topic. The Bell Centre is on Drummond Street which is West of St. Urbain. Even now much effort is put forward to make city as French as possible yet most of team speaks English to reporters and fans. In some ways the city has moved on from the language wars. And yet there is an undercurrent always present. It wasn’t that many years ago that French Canadians going to watch Hockey at Forum, which is even further West, had to endure English only while watching their beloved Habs. The worm has turned and it is us Anglos especially those from Atlantic Canada that have to be treated as second class citizens. I suppose that is how society works though. There always has to be a untermensch for the majority to project insecurities on. In the states now it is Mexicans that are cast as untouchables. I can relate to those people. In Canada much is said about how lazy we are down here. And yet we have been “going down the road” since my ancestors arrived in Nova Scotia. Doing work that others did’t want to do.

Anyways I hope that those south of border can find common ground in upcoming election. But from what I have read there doesn’t appear much to be had. I wish hard work was valued above colour of skin or the book one reads. Sadly we have, as a society, put so much effort into identity politics the past 40 years that we have forgotten merit and the value of the individual. Maybe it has always been that way but it is something that I think should be a cornerstone to a functioning democracy.

But those opposed have been breaking cornerstones since this project began in 1776.

nkit

Thanks for the kind words on my prose.

I find writing down my thoughts hard. It seems I take long spells when I write little. Then out of nowhere I have something to say. I’ll never be a writer of thoughts of consequence. Right now I am supposed to be collating my time and experiences on paper about working at the Westray coal Mine. But every time I sit down to start I freeze up. Then out of the blue I am writing about where some hockey player is going to be playing and then end by talking about the foundations of democracy. All in the space of three paragraphs.

Anyways I am beginning to love writing. That is the greatest gift of TBP and everyone here. I am always surprised when I finally do it. Writing that is. Last year I sat down to write my speech for Gander Newfoundland Safety Conference on the topic of Westray and worried at how it would be received. In the end reviews were positive. It makes me realize that an untoward person like myself can change the world. Small yes but meaningful all the same. One small step is the saying. I was even told I have a gift for speaking. Surprising if one knows me. I am the person who most of the time sits in the corner, says too little and thinks too much. There are many like me however. We end up being drowned out by the shrill of entitlement in all it’s forms.

I really wish looking from afar in the third person that people, the electorate, would take some time to think about the choice to be made this year. 2016 is going to be the pivotal year in my view. Historians 100 years from now will look at this year and talk about the missed opportunities. Missed opportunities ended up being the theme of my speech in Newfoundland. In my case it was my friends Larry Bell and Robbie Doyle who paid with their lives along with 24 other men on May 9th 1992 for the failures of everyone else to do the right thing.

Every year as the anniversary approaches I start to think about my story again. Most of the year I resign myself to thinking there is no point in trying anymore. What’s done is done. I don’t know what is solution to political deadlock in USA. I think people there, like they are here in Canada, becoming lazy citizens. Happy to have have there MTV and drinking their pretentious craft beer.

Anyways I am going to try again this weekend to find a way to start my book. The roadblock for me is the first page. It is always the hardest to write. I wonder sometimes where a historian will start a 100 years from now when talking about the maelstrom which we are all about to enter in this phase of the 4th turning. Trump may end up being the victor but I continue to suspect that his victory will end ringing hollow.

nkit

Hopefully you will read this.

This is my story. It was speech I gave at Gander NLOSHA Safety Conference May15th 2015.

I still have issues that need to be resolved. I was supposed to be part of that documentary “The Last Shift but at last minute I backed out. Nobody threatened me directly but there was an underlying current that it would be wise to let things be. I had already caused enough problems so to speak. Funny thing is looking back now I should have done it. I had nothing to lose by the time they called I had been fired for being a whistleblower.

People now when they hear my story end with something along the lines that

“you did the best you could”

But that is not my problem. I ended up being thrown under the bus anyways when Ventilation Engineer responsible for implementing coal dust mitigation plan said at Richards Inquiry that reason he in part disregarded test results was I had in his view done them incorrectly. It is still a hard pill for me to swallow. I was never given the chance to defend myself. Just ask to quietly exit the stage.

The message from government of nova scotia then is as it is now was and is

SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GET BACK TO WORK

I wrote this a year ago.

Running To The Light (Part II)
Prelude

I have over past two years been on a journey rediscovering something I tried very hard to bury in my past. Over this time I have written the story many times trying not to inject my anger and contempt for the government and the Westray Coal Company into my thoughts. All unsuccessful.. With the help of my wife Cindy and some wonderful friends I was able to come up with what I think best sums up my experience without it being too personal and too much about me. This is my story.

My speech delivered to NLOHSA safety conference
May15th Gander Newfoundland

The Westray mine exploded on May the 9th 1992
But for me Westray began on May the 6th. My last shift before explosion and it’s haunted me all these years. That day I was doing routine tests in the lab.
I was checking on coal quality separating the premium coal from the regular coal.
Except for one thing. I had to report results of some tests I’d done the previous day.

The previous day on May 5th I’d started some coal dust tests.
I was checking on the explosive content of the coal dust.
It was a safety test and It was the first time I’d done a safety test.

It should be noted that I did not work for Westray Coal rather I worked for SGS Laboratories
My job was to run tests and to provide the results to the Westray managers. The safety test was completed overnight on the 5th and 6th

On the morning of May 6th I phoned in the results to the engineering office and got on with the rest of my day. My day goes by. I kept doing my regular reporting on coal quality samples every hour. I didn’t think about the tests too much. My day went on. Then Larry and Robbie showed up in coal lab..

Larry Bell and Robbie Doyle a couple of friends of mine who worked at Westray Coal.

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I’d known Robbie all my life. He grew up two farms down the road from us. He used to help put the hay in the barn on my Grand-parent’s farm. He was one of those guys every community needs. Selfless. Always helping, a Volunteer fireman. A good guy.

Larry, I’d known since my teens. I got to know him well when I coached him in baseball. I loved baseball but that’s not why I got the coaching job. I became the coach because I was 17 and I had a car. And they needed a car.

Anyway as I said earlier at the end of my day on May 6th Larry and Robbie showed up at my lab. They were on their way to start their shift. They were on the back shift. Evening and overnight.

They worked underground. Drove a little tractor. They were the junior guys on the crew so their job was to fetch and carry stuff for the other miners

I’d only been working at the mine for about three weeks. This was the first time they’d dropped in to see me.

and

It was also the last time I saw them.

Three days later Robbie and Larry and 24 other men would die on the morning of May 9th 1992 at 5.18 am

My name is Robert Thompson.

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(me at about 8 years old

I grew up across the road from the Plymouth Community Center where news conferences would be held updating mine rescue in aftermath.

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(I’m in middle, cousin Shelley far left, my brothers and sister, the school, the future community center, can be seen in background)

And half a mile up river from the Westray mine.

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(Future hockey stars, myself, my cousin Paul, my brothers Doug and Andy. Westray Mine would be built about ¼ mile beyond line of trees in background)

I went to work at the mine when I was 26, happy to have a job in my home town just like everybody else there.
I had no idea then how that explosion would shape and haunt my life. It’s made me who I am. It was 23 years ago. That’s almost half my life but it still resonates.

It resonates because of the waste of 26 lives. Because of the missed opportunities to prevent the explosion.

The lessons from Westray are still relevant today.

One only need to look back three years to Prince George In northern B.C.
There
There was an explosion at a saw mill.

It killed two men and injured many more.

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There are disturbing parallels between what happened at Prince George and what happened at Westray
But let me just go back to the events in Nova Scotia in May 1992.
The first I learned of the explosion at Westray was early in the morning of May 9th. My brother in law had called. He was checking on me. He wanted to know what I knew but what he really wanted to know was what the chances of the men were underground surviving the explosion.
My thought then was about to the coal dust tests I’d done. On May 5th and reported on May 6th
My words were they are all dead.

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(Plymouth Community Centre)

But I waited every day like everyone else for the news conferences at the Plymouth community centre. However in my heart I knew the exercise was pointless.

No-one could survive

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(Families waiting at Firehall for news)

and

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(Rescue in aftermath underway)

That’s exactly what was said a week later when they announced there’d be no survivors. At that same news conference the premier of Nova Scotia Donald Cameron promised an inquiry to find out what happened.

Meanwhile I was like everyone else who worked at Westray, waiting to be called back to work.
And on May 22nd I was told to report for the day shift in the lab. In those days in between the explosion.
And being called back to work I was concerned about the coal dust samples and my log book

My record of May sixth.
My record of all the numbers
From all the tests
I reported on that day.

By the way, I recently asked for and was given a copy of the statement I gave to the RCMP. It confirms my actions and clarifies the timeline. For many years I had thought the 3 managers showed up in the lab on the 6th. My statement to the RCMP confirms that that encounter took place on the 22nd.

Getting back to 22nd of May
Most of that first day back at work was uneventful. We were doing clean up getting ready to get the mine started up again. As I mentioned earlier at some point three managers from the Westray mine came in to the lab. I was confronted about the procedure I used. We went to the processing area and I walked them through the tests. There was an argument about how the tests were done. My supervisor was there and he backed me with the way I did the tests.
They were arguing about details.

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But nothing could change the truth of the coal dust tests I’d reported. And the men were dead.

I sat in on a presentation at safety conference I attended that talked about Situational Awareness which I thought tied in quite nicely with my timeline. I would like to emphasize that this timeline contradicts the testimony from day 76 of Richard’s Inquiry, the official storyline of government of Nova Scotia and the Department of Labour. Details that I am arguing about with the Government of Nova Scotia. I have come to realize though that I have been asking the wrong question about dates. Be it the 6th or 7th. I shouldn’t be trying to convince the public of importance of 6th or 7th. Rather I should just pose the question. Why do most insist on sticking to storyline of finding out test results on 7th I do want to make it clear that I did not work on 7th

Getting back to the dust test what I was checking was the level of dust (non-combustibles) in the 4 samples. Any test for combustible materials above 35 per cent is explosive. One of the four samples
I reported. All of which were from South-West Section of mine and where explosion is believed to have started was 77 per cent.

(coal car waiting)

That dangerously high test result is what I wish I had shared with Larry and Robbie when I spoke to them on the 6th. Maybe I could have stopped them going to work. Maybe I could have saved them. I had a bad feeling coming out of that meeting with the managers. But that was nothing compared with what happened four days later when I reported to work for the back shift on the evening of 26th. That evening my supervisor asked me to dispose of the remaining coal dust splits that I’d used for the last tests before the explosion. I refused. I felt then and still do that it would be up to RCMP to decide what would be evidence and whould not. The next morning May 27th as I was leaving my shift I went to the RCMP. I left the RCMP office in Stellarton around 1030 in the morning after giving a statement of what I knew about Westray.

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(Picture of tractor like the one Robbie and Larry was driving in aftermath)

When I reported back to the mine for the late shift that day the RCMP were there. They’d seized the mine. I was nervous walking through the lab and it was a relief to see my Uncle Jim sitting at a desk in front of office where I worked. Uncle Jim Sears was in the auxiliary RCMP. You don’t mess with Uncle Jim. He threw cabers as a hobby at the highland games. Guarding that lab at Westray was his first paid gig in over 20 years of being on the books as an auxiliary.

Dumb luck or was there some planning behind his first assignment.

(Picture of tractor like the one Robbie and Larry was driving in aftermath)

When I reported back to the mine for the late shift that day the RCMP were there. They’d seized the mine. I was nervous walking through the lab and it was a relief to see my Uncle Jim sitting at a desk in front of office where I worked. Uncle Jim Sears was in the auxiliary RCMP. You don’t mess with Uncle Jim. He threw cabers as a hobby at the highland games. Guarding that lab at Westray was his first paid gig in over 20 years of being on the books as an auxiliary.

Dumb luck or was there some planning behind his first assignment.

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(stock photo of mine)

In June 92 I was asked to be interviewed by the 5th Estate for their Documentary “The Last Shift”. But declined on the advice of my father and others. I ended up deciding to let the wheels run their course.

Then three months later a big black Suburban pulls up in my driveway at home and out gets Ches MacDonald. He was the lead investigator for the Department of Labour. He wants my statement for their investigation. So I tell him my story about the tests. About reporting the results of the tests about the dangerously high levels of coal dust. About how management knew three days before the explosion and about how I was asked to dispose of what was left of the samples.

And he ended the interview by saying something to me I’ve never forgotten

He said “even I don’t trust the people I work for”.

And that’s when I got a real sense of hopelessness and helplessness. A sense that nothing good would come out of the investigations. I’d like to now recap the three investigations conducted by the government through its various agencies.

First

The RCMP investigation and trial which ended up with the charges stayed. I was supposed to testify at trial. When it ended in failure many in the community were like me angry and disappointed.

Second

The Department of Labour investigation (DOL) conducted by Ches McDonald which ended with no charges.I would like to note here that I have recently made inquiries about what is on record at DOL about me in regards Westray and about what is on record from conversation I had with Ches that morning in fall of 92 I have been told that there is no record of my statement at DOL. In the end
Government said it wanted to drop the charges so it wouldn’t interfere with the Richards inquiry.

Third

And finally the Richards Inquiry. The one the public is most familiar with. I wasn’t asked to be a part of this. At Inquiry many questions I have were not asked. Many answers were not given. Opportunities missed.. I do want to say that the Ventilation Engineer, the person who dropped the 4 samples off for testing on 5th, was given opportunity to speak at Inquiry and I was not. The ventilation Engineers stated
ON THE LAST DAY OF TESTIMONY at inquiry that he didn’t know until end of day on 7th of the test results. As I showed in timeline there was an order issued by DOL on April 29th to come up with a plan to deal with the dust. I want to emphasize that I DID NOT WORK ON 7TH

Leaving all that aside I have one question.
Why the lack of urgency

As the mine blew up on 9th

In the end there were no convictions for what happened at Westray

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And only a report with recommendations was issued

Why is Westray still relevant today? Preventable accidents like Westray are still happening. In April of 2012 two men were killed and 24 were injured in a fire and explosion at a saw mill in Prince George BC. In that workplace it wasn’t coal dust. It was saw dust. Like Westray no charges were laid and no one was sent to jail for what happened.

How could this happen again?

Because there were flaws in the investigation by WorkplaceBC. Potentially relevant evidence was left unexplored. Including evidence about how much Lakeland Directors and managers at the mill knew about sawdust conditions and the risks of an explosion.

Like Westray the criminal investigation didn’t start until about two weeks after the tragedy occurred.

Much like Westray there were concerns leading up the explosion about the dangers at the saw mill.

Including an anonymous phone call warning of workplace dangers before the explosion.

Much like Westray Government inspectors paid a visit to the saw mill and noted “perhaps a bit more dust than usual”.

Pictures were taken prior to blast showing areas of concern.

Shockingly it was the second time in a year that there were failures in the investigative procedures.
The BC justice branch declined to lay charges in another deadly saw mill explosion that took place January 2012 in Burns Lake, a small town, about 900 kilometers north of Vancouver.

There

Two more workers were killed. And many more injured

The common thread between Westray and the two sawmill explosions is the inability to prosecute and convict those who fail to ensure the safety of their workers.

For me the four lessons that weren’t learned from the tragedy of Westray are

One.

The mine tragedy was not a failure of regulation. It was a failure of enforcement and implementation of the laws on the books. More laws will not solve problem when the ones we already have are not effectively enforced

Two.

Where there is a workplace injury or death we need to drop the presumption that it is an accident we must treat it as a crime scene. The RCMP or the local police should take the lead. They have or where required should get the training needed to investigate what could potentially be a crime scene.

Three.

Although there has been improvements we need to encourage and expand the workplace culture so that it is safe for employees especially the young and vulnerable to express concerns about safety.

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And the fourth lesson not learned from Westray.

We like whistle blowers when they expose wrong-doing but we are not so keen when the whistle blowing leads to lost jobs.

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In preparing for this speech I talked to people involved in a campaign called
“Stop the Killing”
The campaign was and is aimed to better enforce the criminal code amendments in Bill C45. Bill C 45 is more commonly known as the Westray Bill. It was designed to learn the lessons from Westray. To protect workers from another tragedy like Westray happening….It was passed on March the 31st, 2004.

More than ten years ago.

And in those years since the average number of fatalities has remained constant at about 990 a year. This is according to the Association of Worker’s Compensation Boards of Canada. Bill C45 was intended to make corporations, their directors and executives criminally accountable for the death and injury of workers. This law has not been effectively used. Workplace deaths have rarely been investigated as a crime scene. In past several months I have sat in on JOSH meetings at my workplace. I have also had discussions with people doing safety audits. What the auditors tell and want to emphasize with me iIs that all accidents are preventable

Not every workplace death involves criminality. There have been and will be accidents. However. We owe it to every family who has lost a loved one to force police and prosecutors to uphold the law. Fines are not enough.

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(from Government of Nova Scotia campaign to promote safe workplaces)
Some good things are happening at least we are talking about workplace safety. There is more awareness through TV campaigns. Worker rights are better defined. Employers are also realizing the benefits of safer work places.

But

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(from Campaign led by USW “Stop the killing”)

There is a long way to go. We are averaging three deaths and 670 injuries every DAY in Canada.I and many others feel that there is still a sense of injustice in Pictou County about Westray. And like Prince George and Burns Lake there are wounds that will never heal.

I think about Larry and Robbie. I wish I had told them to go home on May 6th. It was my missed opportunity.

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(monument)

Westray
Prince George
and Burns Lake
were missed opportunities

Resulting in needless death and loss.
At Westray there is a simple memorial to Robbie and Larry and the other 24 men who died.

Its a miner’s lamp.

The inscription says
“Their light
will always shine”

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(The light)

And it will.

I would like to see that light that light on the miner’s lamp guide the rest of us…
In our approach to workplace safety.
In the enforcement of the laws we already have.
In the accountability of employers, employees and government.
In removing the presumption that workplace deaths and injuries are accidents.
In encouraging a culture where workers and middle managers can raise safety issues without worrying about losing their jobs.
Maybe then we can stop talking
About missed opportunities.

Post Script

I returned from Newfoundland on the afternoon of May 15th happy that I achieved what I set out to do. I have now the sense of closure I have sought since I decided to set out on this quest.

I wrote quick note to person who invited me to Newfoundland

Well I’m home now. Kind of a whirlwind trip but for me well worth alll the work. I can’t thank you enough for what you have done. When the article came out my goal was to try and close the book if that is possible. Although I liked the article I still felt I needed to add something to storyline. The first two attempts fell short and lacked the closure I sought. This time I was able to achieve my goal and I think now I can at least get up in morning look in the mirror and say “I did the best I could”. Maybe at some point I will get some answers I have regarding Westray but it isn’t the main goal anymore. I’m happy knowing that the truth will set you free. It’s too bad some of the other players in this tragedy couldn’t step forward and tell their stories as well. If they did maybe we could as a group help prevent something like this happening again.

Cheers

Rob

I forgot to mention that one of my other projects I have been working on was a flagpole for cottage. I have foundation and pole baseplate done today and should be getting it up this long weekend. My Dad just bought an official Montreal Canadiens flag and once complete I’ll send picture of it flying. Cottage is right on ocean so it should make a great picture…..

I will end with a note I sent to organizers of event in Newfoundland. Sort of my Thank you card in words and pictures.

Please forward my thanks and if you want this email to rest of board as my thanks for everything you have all done.

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(me)

I have always said that Newfoundlanders are the best people in the world followed by a close second Maritimers.

I’ve also cursed the weather the last four months or so but today was beautiful. Fitting I suppose, an end to a long winter. As I promised I finished the project of putting up the flag pole. I started this project almost two years ago. About the same time as I got to work on my Westray story.

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There are certain days in my life that are etched for all time. Some good some bad. I’ve had two good days in a row. I’m a lucky man. There are many wonderful good people in the world. What I have completed has restored some of the faith I lost these many years. I do have to say that it was nice to say grace at meal the other night. Most events I go to bypass the giving of thanks and counting our blessings. I think we need to remind ourselves everyday how fortunate we all are.

p.s.

I live in a beautiful place. Although many days the weather is not great and it doesn’t have the majesty of Rockies it has and will always be the balm for my soul.
Cheers

Rob

I still would like some answers to questions I have. The government has and I suspect will continue to stonewall me in my efforts. But it doesn’t matter anymore.

nkit

Thanks for your words. Glad you could read it.

I had intended on letting it go finally. I was invited again in fall to Newfoundland to give speech again at another conference. It was well received once as before. Left Island thinking that was it. Then a couple of weeks later I read an article about the Engineer spoke of in last post. He too had been at a safety conference and took time to pat himself on back for having the courage to appear before Ricchards Inquiry. It was a slap in face to me and an insult to the miners who died. I didn’t mention this in last post but I can prove, well let’s just say he wasn’t entirely truthful, that under oath while testifying at Richards Inquiry that his version doesn’t make sense. Everyone there at &nquiry must have known he was stretching things just a bit so that light would shine on him as best as possible. But no one inroom cared then and hardly anyone does now. Justice will never be done and has been permanently damged in this province as a result. It is pretty bitter pill to swallow to say whats done is done. Most of the year I can but in the month of May I think not of the coming summer but the senseless loss of those men.. But I was born with a conscience. It is my plight.