Monday December 27, 2021 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
On this holiday Monday of the Christmas long weekend, the workings of government continue. Christmas fell on a Saturday this year, so the statutory holiday got pushed into this week between Christmas and New Year.
With multiple highways still damaged by flooding and mudslides, the Province has announced that it is extending the provincial state of emergency until the end of the day on January 11, 2022.
Repairing damaged highways:
Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency has been extended.
People into homes, supplies into stores:
“While significant progress has been made in recovery and repair efforts, there is still more to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“My thanks go out to all British Columbians for their patience and compliance during these challenging times, and to the crews who have worked tirelessly to get these highways back open.”
Generally speaking, the interrupted or restricted use of major highways results in interruptions to the supply chain for a wide range of goods. The food supply chain in particular is impacted in a way that results in many products being priced higher (in order to restrict over-buying by customers while quantities are limited).
Inflation was up over four percent in the last month of this year, according to economists and the federal government. While a ‘global economy’ perspective is being attributed to inflationary pressures, in general and overall it has to do with pandemic-related interruptions (not the least of which is worker availability).
Restricted use of Highways 5 & 99 (mainland BC):
The order restricting travel on highways 5 and 99 will remain in place. This includes:
- * Highway 5 (Coquihalla) between Hope and Merritt (only commercial vehicles with a minimum licensed gross vehicle weight of 11,794 kilograms, and inter-city buses are permitted);
- * from the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the BC Hydro Seton Lake campsite access in Lillooet (open to all traffic, but vehicles weighing more than 14,500 kilograms are not permitted).
- “Reopening the Coquihalla to commercial trucks and intercity buses was an important step in our recovery from November’s storm damage,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Repairs to our highway infrastructure are progressing well. However, with winter conditions here and more work to do, some restrictions must remain in place.”
Extraordinary powers:
This current State of Emergency to deal with the mid-November storm and flooding aftermath was first declared on November 17, 2021. It was renewed on November 28, and again on December 14.
Today’s announcement makes this the fourth two-week extension of this State of Emergency around flooding and weather.
Another State of Emergency was declared earlier this year, on July 20, 2021, around the urgent needs to manage the wildfires in BC.
A State of Emergency was also declared in BC on March 18, 2020, the day after the COVID-19 pandemic health emergency was declared on St Patrick’s Day March 17, 2020 in BC. The World Health Organization had declared the COVID-19 a week earlier, on March 11, 2020.
During the 2017 wildfire season, the province was in a provincial state of emergency for 10 weeks from July 7 to September 15 of that year.
The state of emergency gives the Province the ability to use extraordinary powers to protect people and communities.
===== RELATED (2021):
Nov 20: BC emergency update on flood-impacted areas (November 20, 2021)
State of Emergency extended to March 30 as COVID pandemic enters second year (March 16, 2021)
State of Emergency extended to March 16 at one-year COVID anniversary (March 2, 2021)
===== RELATED (2020):
BC State of Emergency extended into the new year (December 22, 2020)
BC State of Emergency renewed now 17 times during pandemic (October 28, 2020)
BC State of Emergency extended again, to Sept 29 (September 16, 2020)
State of Emergency continues in BC to end of day June 23 (June 10, 2020)
BC State of Emergency during COVID-19 extended to June 9 and probably beyond (May 27, 2020)
Politicians and public health: delicate dance toward a new post-COVID normal (April 19, 2020)
State of Emergency extended as COVID-19 stats show positive results of physical distancing (April 16, 2020)
Premier Horgan addresses all of BC about COVID-19: we are in this together (March 31, 2020)
PHO declares Public Health Emergency on March 17 as BC sees 83 more COVID-19 cases (March 17, 2020)
District of Sooke activates COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre (March 13, 2020)
March 11: World Health Organization declares COVID-19 Pandemic (March 11, 2020)
WHO declares global health emergency over Wuhan Coronavirus (January 30, 2020)
===== Learn More (government links):
For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC, visit: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/
For updated road conditions, visit: www.drivebc.ca
For up-to-date public weather alerts, visit Environment and Climate Change Canada’s website, visit: https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html?prov=bc
To register with Canadian Red Cross, visit: https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/current-emergency-responses/2021-british-columbia-floods-and-extreme-weather
British Columbians can access the DFA application online: http://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance
