EaglE VallEy
NEWS
Workshop helps liven landscapes in watercolour Page 5
Sicamous cadet honoured with medal of merit Page 6
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 PM40008236
Vol. 55 No. 35 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Kyllo top spender in riding By Tracy Hughes
Eagle Valley News
Good news: Sharon and Jessica Kangas look on from rocks in Hummingbird Creek Tuesday morning as Transportation Minister Todd Stone announces the province will be replacing the nearby culvert with a bridge to help mitigate future debris flows. Photo by Lachlan Labere
Province to build bridge over Hummingbird
Relief: $3 million project addresses local concerns of future debris flows. By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
The B.C. government has finally agreed to give Swansea Point residents what they have been calling for since last summer’s devastating flooding from Hummingbird Creek. On Tuesday, Transport Minister Todd Stone announced the province will be committing $3 million to the construction of a new bridge next year along the creek over Highway 97A. Stone made the announcement while standing next to the existing culvert beneath the highway which rapidly clogged during last year’s flooding, sending water and debris over the highway and into residential areas in Swansea Point. Following the flood event, the province contracted the firm Golder and Associates to assess the creek and provide recommendations for remedial work. Stone said Golder’s report is now public, and that it identifies the culvert as not meeting ministry requirements for flow capacity. “So today, along with colleague Greg Kyllo, MLA for Shuswap, I’m pleased to announce the government is remedying the situation; we are going to construct a new, clear-span bridge on Highway 97A over Hummingbird Creek,”
Announcement: Transportation Minister Todd Stone and Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo. Photo by Lachlan Labere said Stone. “This bridge will replace the existing culvert right behind me here. It will result in a higher level of dependability. “The structure will also increase capacity for Hummingbird Creek and will reduce the chance of a blockage like all of you experienced last year, thus ensuring that Highway 97A remains open for Shuswap residents and tourists as well.” In addition, Stone said the ministry will be doing additional work in the creek to further improve stream flows.
“Some of the gravel bed load will be removed from the creek near the outlet into Mara Lake. Approximately 120 metres of creek bank adjacent to Hummingbird Creek Resort will also be strengthened,” said Stone, noting the work will be on top of the $565,000-worth of stream improvements already completed in the creek since last year. Both works were applauded by locals gathered for the announcement. A number of them had attended a public meeting earlier this year, hosted by the ministry. At that meeting, MOTI district manager Murray Tekano went over remedial work proposed for the creek which did not include what locals wanted most: a bridge or, at the least, a larger culvert. Since then, the Swansea Point Community Association, through a Freedom of Information request, were able to acquire a 2003 report conducted by the province following the 1997 debris flow in Hummingbird Creek. In addition to a bridge that was proposed by the province but never built, the report recommends a 150,000-cubic metre debris berm with associated outlets and a retaining wall as the best option for mitigating future flood events. The report also states the frequency of deSee Minister hopes on page 2
BC Liberal Greg Kyllo spent more on his election campaign than Premier Christy Clark — if you only count her first campaign for Vancouver Point Grey. Kyllo spent a total of $113,280 on his successful effort to become MLA for the Shuswap according to documents released by Elections BC. Premier Christy Clark spent a total of $108,765 on her unsuccessful bid for the riding of VancouverPoint Grey. The election spending for the candidates in the Shuswap also mirrored the eventual results. The more a candidate spent on the campaign, the better their ranking in the polls. The NDP’s Steve Gunner spent a total of $36,495 on the campaign, BC Conservative Tom Birch spent $12,892, BC Green Party’s Chris George spent $9,354 and Johanna Zalcik of the Advocational Party spent $1,096. To fund his campaign, Kyllo had $34,734 contributed from all sources and $82,763 transferred directly from the BC Liberal Party. Gunner had a total of $4,800 in contributions, while $32,668 was transferred to his campaign from the BC NDP and the Shuswap BC NDP Constituency Association. BC Conservative Tom Birch received contributions of $6,985 from the BC Conservative Party and the BC Conservative Party Shuswap Association, while he self-funded $4,290 and had donations for the remainder. George also self-funded a significant portion of his campaign at $3,022. The remainder was funded through donations or local fundraisers, including a movie screening at the Salmar Classic. Zalcik’s campaign spending was listed as self-funded.