Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com
5/29/2012
A retired coast guard member, and Conservative supporter, with thousands of search and rescue missions under his belt says the federal government needs to reverse course on closing Kits base or pay the price at the polls
Dave Howell, a 37 year veteran who began his career at Kitsilano Base, is taking issue with James Moore's claim safety won't be affected by shuttering the base.
"You got the Heritage Minister telling me that safety is not affected and I got 30,000 SAR calls under my belt and I am telling you that it is, now you choose which one you want to believe but I will tell you one thing, and you can take it to the bank, safety is being affected. It will end up costing lives, there is no doubt in my mind what so ever and I don't have a penny to earn no matter if that station opens or closes."
Howell says when it comes to replacing the Kits base with a rescue boat, manned by university students, James Moore and the Fisheries Minister are missing the truth of the matter.
"I personally believe for them to arrive at the conclusion that they can safely close this station down that somebody has fed them misinformation because I don't believe they are liars I don't believe that for a minute but I do believe they don't know what they are talking about."
Howell says he suspects the Regional Director is behind the misinformation.
"Well if the Regional Director thinks they can cover Vancouver with a rubber boat it tells me that the Regional Director is incompetent. Incompetent to the level that I believe it is border line criminal I mean this is so foolish as to make me almost...I get a knot in my stomach and almost want to throw up it...its...its ridiculous."
Howell says he isn't the only one telling the federal government the cuts are foolish noting veterans and others are warning the cuts also risk lives.
"Between Tony Toxopeus, myself, and Fred Moxey well we've probably got a 120 years of service."
He has written the fisheries minister urging him to reverse the cuts and warns if the Tories don't make the right call and insist on the cuts to Coast Guard and Marine Communications Centres then they will be committing "political suicide."
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