SURREY (NEWS1130) – A Surrey Conservative MP had nothing to say today when pressed about her government’s plan to close the Kitsilano Coast Guard base.
    
Fleetwood Port-Kells representative Nina Grewal was silent as reporters asked her if she supports her government’s plan to shut down the busy marine centre at False Creek, which responds to about 300 calls a year.
    
Grewal walked quickly to her car and drove away, but did speak moments earlier about the opening of a new organics biofuel centre in Surrey, paid for partially with federal tax dollars.
    
Ottawa says it will save just under one million dollars by closing the Kits station and is confident new equipment and the Sea Island base in Richmond will fill any service gaps, even though it’s 30 minutes from Vancouver’s inner harbour.
    
The Tories’ plan comes despite an internal note from staff at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre on Vancouver Island, which says mariners’ lives be in danger if the Kits base closes.

Vancouver City staff also claim lives will be at risk if the base shuts down because there are ‘gaps’ in Ottawa’s plans.

City council is writing a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office demanding his government reverse its decision to close the Kits base, which is expected to happen in the spring.

Vancouver-Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray, whose riding includes Kitsilano and waters serviced by the base, is circulating a petition to keep the base running, and last weekend several people staged a sit-in at the station, demanding it stay open.