B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth imposed an order limiting gas purchases and travel along damaged highways on Friday.
More than 100 Canadian Armed Forces personnel have landed in Abbotsford, B.C., east of Vancouver, to help with emergency operations in the flood-ravaged Fraser Valley area.
A levee that was planned to be constructed will no longer go ahead, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun has confirmed. Military personnel will now focus on repairing a dike ahead of the next expected rainfall.
Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said the province is receiving aid from other jurisdictions to help farmers and ranchers in the Fraser Valley.
Highway 7 from Vancouver to Hope, B.C., was opened to essential travel, with 1,000 people stranded in Hope making their way home on Thursday.
As British Columbia begins to recover from the catastrophic flooding and mudslides that destroyed critical infrastructure, highways and farmland this week, supply chain issues have led provincial officials to impose limits on gas purchases and non-essential travel.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced the measures under the province’s state of emergency at a news conference on Friday. The order means members of the public in flood-ravaged areas will be limited to 30 litres of fuel per visit to the gas station.
The emergency order covers drivers in the Lower Mainland-to-Hope region, the Sea-to-Sky region, the Sunshine Coast, the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. It will be in effect until Dec. 1.
Essential vehicles, including commercial trucks, infrastructure repair vehicles and health-care transportation, will be exempt from the order.
Farnworth said the order includes requirements for gas retailers to make sure their supply lasts until Dec. 1, and that the province will be working with them to make sure that happens. Gas stations and wholesale distributors will also be prohibited from price gouging, and customers who are abusive, threatening or belligerent with employees can be fined.
A boat goes under an overpass as it speeds along what was once Highway 1 in Abbotsford, B.C. Some highways have reopened in the province, but an order limiting travel on them has now been issued. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
Travel restricted on damaged highways
As part of the order, non-essential traffic was also restricted on the province’s highway network, which continues to constrain travel and supply flow to and from Metro Vancouver.
The highways where non-essential travel has been restricted include:
Highway 99: From the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the B.C. Hydro Seton Lake campsite access in Lillooet.
Highway 3: From the junction of Highway 5 and Highway 3 in Hope to the west entrance to Princeton from Highway 3.
Highway 7: From the junction of Highway 7 and Highway 9 in Agassiz to the junction of Highway 7 and Highway 1 in Hope.
More than 1,000 people who were stranded in the community of Hope, east of Vancouver, have been reunited with their families after an overnight train on Wednesday night and the reopening of Highway 7 to essential traffic.
Part of Highway 1 on Vancouver Island, known as the Malahat, was also reopened ahead of time. Highway 3 east of Hope was also reopened as of Friday afternoon.
B.C. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming also said limited travel might soon be possible on Highway 99, where one person lost their life in a mudslide. RCMP said four other people were reported missing along the highway.
A commanding officer talks to soldiers gathered at the Abbotsford airport. More than 100 soldiers have arrived in B.C.’s Fraser Valley region to assist with emergency management. (Francois Joly/CBC)
Soldiers helping to rebuild dikes in Fraser Valley
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to help British Columbians recover from the flood, including with military assistance. More than 14,000 residents were still out of their homes as of Friday afternoon.
Trudeau said 120 members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been dispatched to Abbotsford, B.C., one of the worst-hit areas, and another 350 members are standing by in Edmonton. Soldiers have rescued about 300 people, Trudeau told a news conference after the North American Leaders’ Summit in Washington
On Friday, military members were set to help construct a 2.5-kilometre flood levee in Abbotsford.
But at an afternoon news conference, Braun said that option was no longer being considered. The levee was to be built to stop water from spilling across the Trans Canada Highway, but water levels equalized on both sides.
WATCH | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledges support for B.C.:
Trudeau says 120 soldiers are on the ground in Abbotsford, B.C.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau provided a late-night update on the federal government’s support for British Columbia, which is currently in a state of emergency. 1:14
Military personnel will now focus on repairing a damaged dike ahead of the next anticipated rainfall on Monday. Braun said he anticipates the whole dike may need to be rebuilt to a higher standard. He said while he had hoped water levels would recede by two feet, they have so far only receded by about six inches.
“There’s predicted 80 to 100 millimetres of rain coming next week, beginning Tuesday,” he said Thursday. “That’s what I’m concerned about if we don’t fix those breaches.”
Braun said the price tag for fixing the damaged infrastructure in the community of 120,000 could reach $1 billion.
Ranchers and farmers in B.C.’s Fraser Valley have been particularly hard hit by floods, with the region containing half of the province’s dairy farms. Many of those farms are in Abbotsford, with hundreds of farms flooded in the low-lying Sumas Prairie region east of the city.
Farmers carry their livestock out of a flooded barn in Abbotsford. The city southeast of Vancouver is home to half of B.C.’s dairy farms and has been hit badly by the devastating floods. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Friday school closures in the Fraser Valley include all schools in the Fraser Cascade School District and Chilliwack School District, as well as Barrowtown, Matsqui and Upper Sumas elementary schools in Abbotsford.
The floods were triggered by historic rainfall on the weekend, as more than 20 daily rainfall records were shattered across the province.
A person paddles a kayak past a submerged taxi after the major flood event in Abbotsford. More federal assistance is on its way to the province as reconstruction begins. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Other jurisdictions to help B.C.’s animals
Popham said other provinces and Washington state have also offered to send resources to help the province’s farm animals. “Some feed at the Port of Vancouver that was destined to go to China will be re-routed to the Valley,” she said.
Many animals were trapped in barns without clean food or water, and owners were ordered to evacuate without their animals in tow. A total of 959 farms are on evacuation order throughout the province.
Popham had said earlier in the week that thousands of animals had perished in the floods. On Thursday, she said the province was using helicopters to drop water and aid isolated farmers; 35 veterinarians are also on standby to help.
There has been tension between police trying to protect people from dangerous conditions and farmers trying to reach their barns, Popham said, as she called on everyone to respect the evacuation orders that are in place.
READ MORE:
Farnworth said the province would start using the national Alert Ready system “next spring” or “next summer” after criticism from residents and numerous natural disasters this year.
A resident of the small community of Yarrow, B.C., has recounted how he and his puppy made a terrifying escape from rapidly approaching floodwaters.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.
The move, retroactive to Wednesday, essentially ends an injury-plagued season for Bichette.
He had two hits and one RBI in a 13-8 loss to Texas on Tuesday in his return from a 52-game stint on the IL with a right calf strain.
Bichette also missed nine games due to the calf issue in June.
His latest injury was suffered Wednesday during infield practice. Bichette was a late scratch in a 2-0 loss to the Rangers.
Bichette hit four homers with 31 RBIs in 81 games this season. He posted a .225 batting average and a .322 slugging percentage.
The Blue Jays also recalled outfielder Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Buffalo. He was active for the series finale against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon, the team said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
