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Westview Terminal noise complaints plummet

The number of people complaining to the Prince Rupert Port Authority about noise coming from Westview Terminal nearly ground to a halt.

The number of people complaining to the Prince Rupert Port Authority about noise coming from Westview Terminal nearly ground to a halt last week.

After receiving 70 complaints since the start of January, and average of 11 complaints per week, the port authority recorded just one noise complaint during the week ending Feb. 16.

Prince Rupert Port Authority manager of corporate communications Michael Gurney said the drop in complaints can be attributed to a number of steps taken as a result of feedback from the public.

“The terminal operator, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Group, has stopped the graveyard shift during ship loading, so now only two of three shifts are running during a vessel visit to the terminal which means less overnight noise ... a number of technological  solutions have been and are being implemented at the terminal. Those include reprogramming the fans that ventilate the silos so that they do not run at night,” he said, noting there is also less noise associated with construction as the commissioning phase winds down.

“A third party noise consultant has been engaged by Pinnacle to look at further on-site solutions that can possibly mitigate the noise both during the day and at night.”

While he noted the port is pleased with the steps being taken, Gurney encouraged people who do have concerns to contact them.

“Although progress has been made, we are still in a commissioning phase when it comes to Westview Terminal. We encourage people to share their observations and comments with us through the community comment line or our website so we can follow up as specifically as possible,” he said.