New fisheries minister visits B.C. slide site, says it's her 'top priority'
Credit to Author: The Canadian Press| Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2020 02:56:18 +0000
LILLOOET— Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan visited the site of a massive landslide in British Columbia’s Fraser River on Friday in her first official trip since being appointed to the role late last year.
She says the disaster at Big Bar, northwest of Kamloops, is her top priority and has been a key issue for the government since it was discovered in June because it threatens crucial salmon runs.
Jordan says the slide is the size of a building that is 35 storeys tall and 18 storeys across and it was “spectacular” to see the ongoing work by provincial, federal and First Nations authorities.
She also announced two expert working groups that will develop additional options for safe fish passage in case the height of the slide or water velocity blocks certain salmon populations during the early part of this year’s migration season.
The Fisheries Department announced this week that a contractor, Peter Kiewit Sons ULC, will immediately start remediation efforts, including breaking up and removing rock debris, and will continue the work through the end of March.
The department didn’t select the contractor until Dec. 31 even though it had previously said the work needed to be done between December and March, but Jordan says the government was “quick” to award the contract.
“We recognize how important it is to get this work done,” she says in an interview Saturday, adding she met with representatives from Peter Kiewit Sons during her site visit.
They’re working on the site already and they’re confident they can make a difference in the next six to eight weeks, Jordan says.
“They have an extremely ambitious plan in place. It’s a very remote site, so getting there in itself is a challenge. The weather is a challenge,” she adds.
“But this is a priority. We have to do everything we possibly can.”
The site of a massive rock slide is seen on the Fraser River near Big Bar, west of Clinton, B.C., on Wednesday July 24, 2019. Ottawa is seeking help to avoid what it says could be the extinction of some British Columbian salmon species because of a massive landslide on the Fraser River that sparked a co-ordinated emergency response this year.
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