Kinder Morgan must provide more information to the city and to the community when oil spills happen, like the one that occurred at its Sumas Mountain terminal last week, said an Abbotsford city councillor.

"My concern is not only what happened up there (on Tuesday), but the communications following the spill," Coun. Patricia Ross said Monday. She said the oil transport company's communication to the city and to the public was too slow and too vague.

"It's not good enough to say everything is just fine in an e-mail. It's not good enough to say air emissions are safe. I want to know what the air emissions were and how long they were in the area. I think the public deserves to know."

Ross said she intends to bring up the issue at the next public council hearing on Monday, to see how communications with Kinder Morgan can be improved.

"I'd like to see a full written report from Kinder Morgan with very specific details on how much oil was spilled, the air emissions and how long they were in the area," she said.

Along with health concerns for people in the area, which includes the Auguston residential development, there is also a risk to local waterways, habitat and wildlife, including some endangered species, Ross noted.

Last Tuesday afternoon Kinder Morgan confirmed that roughly 110,000 litres of crude oil had spilled into a containment area that morning. However, that confirmation came several hours after Auguston area residents reported strong gas odours to the Abbotsford Police, starting at 4: 30 a.m.

Police officers, Abbotsford Fire Rescue members and natural gas company Fortis workers combed the area around daybreak to find the source of the odour. Abbotsford Police said they eventually called Kinder Morgan mid-morning and received confirmation there had been a oil leak. Auguston Traditional Elementary school kept their 342 students indoors for much of the day, while six children were taken home by parents who were concerned about the fumes. The school was notified by 8: 45 a.m. that there had been a oil spill, and some Auguston residents also received notices from Kinder Morgan. School district spokesman Dave Stephen said they've already asked Kinder Morgan to add the district's facilities manager to the company's call list for the next time an incident occurs.

Katrina Kaiser, who runs a daycare in Auguston, kept her children inside on Tuesday.

"The smell was very noticeable. We all just assumed there had been an accident but no one knew for sure," said Kaiser, who added her asthma symptoms flared up that night.

The company's external relations manager Lexa Hobenshield did send an e-mail by late morning to the Times, noting that local area residents were "experiencing nuisance odours" but that there are no health concerns and they were monitoring the air quality in the area.

Such "vague e-mails" aren't good enough, said Ross, also a member of the city's environmental advisory committee.

Now is a good time to strengthen the communications between the city and Kinder Morgan, she said, given its plans to double its capacity from its current levels of 300,000 barrels per day through its pipeline to a possible 700,000 bpd.

CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com