Please point out where I said there was no other possibility other than a mid air collision from a clearance being issued at the current level.
I would happily go up or down a thousand to avoid getting a nice new 206 shaped hood ornament.
What you meant to say was: "to mitigate the infinitesimally small risk of being unable to see and avoid an aircraft that I know's there and I'm catching up to slowly and who's almost certainly not at exactly the same altitude or on exactly the same track as I am."
And for the loss of the aircraft, his life and those of his passengers, he couldn't have spared a few minutes to even find out.
A completely circular argument. He didn't know what he didn't know, and to find out he may have had to wait a lot longer. I've orbited near Broughton Island wondering whether it's smoko or poet's day in Williamtown. I know that they're actually focusing on the important job of keeping vast distances between me and any other flying machine within the area, but again, that's kinda the point.
What, precisely, is your point about it being VMC but not CAVOK at WLM?