Observer SALMON ARM
Wednesday August 22, 2012 www.saobserver.net $1.25 HST INCLUDED PM40008236
Lawsuit claims negligence Court: Waterway seeking $1.7 million in damages from province, district. By Tim Petruk KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK
A Shuswap houseboat-rental company is suing two levels of government for nearly $2 million after torrential floods in June caused substantial property damage — a flash flood the company says was caused by government negligence. Court documents obtained by the newspaper show Waterway Houseboats Ltd. and Vinco Holdings Ltd. — operators of Waterway Houseboats on Mara Lake in Sicamous — are suing the provincial government and the District of Sicamous for $1.7 million. The documents, filed Monday, Aug. 20 in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops, claim the June 23 flash flood can be attributed largely to the work of provincial officials in the 1990s who built a forestry road — Skyline Forest Service Road — to provide better timber access for loggers. “The natural channel that formed the banks of Sicamous Creek was altered [when the road was built] and a culvert was installed in place of the natural channel,” the documents state, adding that increased logging after the road was built also caused increased water flow in the creek since the 1990s. When water levels rose in June, the culvert became clogged with debris. The end result was a devastating flash flood believed to have caused damage in the millions of dollars. “The forest service road effectively became a dam that caused a large volume of water and debris to accumulate,” the documents read. “A torrent of water, mud, sand, boulders, trees and other debris was unleashed. “The flood and debris torrent that came down the creek bed was enormous and totally unleashed. It swept away everything in its path.” The documents claim the impact on Waterway Houseboats was increased because of a bridge — property of the District of Sicamous — that
JAMES MURRAY/OBSERVER
Outreach: Members of the Shuffle Demons make their way along the wharf Wednesday following a Roots and Blues outreach event held before the weekend’s 20th annual festival. See more on A9.
Festival still sizzles By Barb Brouwer OBSERVER STAFF
The numbers were down, but if smiles, energetic dancing and wild applause were any indication, those who attended this year’s Roots and Blues Festival got their money’s worth. Some 25,581 walked through the festival gates on the weekend, compared to 2011’s gate of 27,405. As usual, Saturday’s crowd was the largest, with 9,114 in attendance. Some 8,042 showed up for Friday night’s slate and 8,425 attended Sunday. Shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday, one tired artistic director sat down with an equally tired reporter to talk about the magic that was the 20th anniversary of the festival. “It’s hot,” began Hugo Rampen, acknowledging that while attendance numbers might be a little light over
other years, audiences were enthusiastic and seemed to be happy with the performers. And the enthusiasm was reciprocated. “Almost every performer has come up to me to say they’ve never been to a better festival than this one,” said Rampen. “I can’t remember which one it was, but I asked one of them what we could do better, and he said ‘nothing, you’re cutting edge; everyone else has to catch up to you.’” Pleased the festival rocked the same good vibes as last year, Rampen said Roots and Blues has developed into a full-family festival, with everything from infants carried in their parents’ arms, to the elderly slowly making their way about with canes or walkers and a number of people in wheelchairs. Rampen was also delighted that 6 a.m. clean-up crews had very little to do.
“There was no litter; our audiences were so responsible,” he said, noting that from a logistics standpoint, the volunteer team did an exceptional job. And Rampen’s satisfaction with how the event unfolded extended beyond the fairground site. “I am incredibly happy with the Routes and Blues and the Music Crawl,” he said of both highly successful pre-festival outreach programs. “The venues were full and people were enjoying themselves – they’re important events for the community.” It was congratulations all round as the Salmon Arm RCMP praised the event. “(We) wish to congratulate Roots and Blues organizers for a well-run event,” says Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane, head of the Salmon Arm detachment. See RCMP on page A2
See Allegations on page A2
This week Five members of a Calgary family remain in hospital after a serious collision. See details on A4. Rebecca Howard reflects on her experience at the London Olympics. See A17.
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Sports .............. A17-A20 Arts & Events ... A21-A23 Time Out................... A24 Vol. 105, No. 34, 44 pages