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By Dylana Kneeshaw

wildfire watch

Wildfire increase prompts TNRD to formally request provincial state of emergency

Jul 16, 2021 | 4:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — Three weeks ago, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board opted not to ask the B.C. government for a state of emergency. Since then, Board Chair Ken Gillis says the regional district has changed its stance, but the B.C government has not.

“I’m just hoping that they will seize the opportunity now,” he says. “It’s not the opposition that’s asking them for a State of Emergency, it’s one of the biggest regional districts in the province.”

At Thursday’s (July 15) regular meeting, the TNRD board unanimously passed a motion to ask the B.C. government to declare a provincial State of Emergency in response to ongoing wildfires. This comes as hundreds of wildfires burn around the province, and thousands of properties within the TNRD under an evacuation order, or alert.

Gillis notes that each time one of the ten electoral districts is threatened by wildfire, the TNRD declares a local State of Emergency for that area. As of this week, six have been declared, and there are more than a dozen evacuation orders, and more than a dozen evacuation alerts in place.

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“If there were an over-reaching State of Emergency province-wide or at least Interior-wide, that would alleviate that problem for us.” explains Gillis. “Not that it’s a major thing for us to declare a local state of emergency, but their state of emergency grants far more powers than we get out of a local emergency.”

While the B.C government has stated it has not received the recommendation from experts at this point, Clearwater’s Mayor, Merlin Blackwell, says he’s heard emergency response resources are stretched thin, and help would be welcome.

“I’m hearing through sources that there are many professionals in this industry that are not being asked to join the fight, that cannot be asked to join the fight legally until a State of Emergency is put in place.”

After hearing from numerous residents in the North Thompson who are anxious about the potential damage that could be inflicted, Blackwell also feels it would show Interior and northern B.C residents that the government is aware of how severely the fires have impacted people.

“We’re living in smoke every day. There’s helicopters, water bombers and spotter planes flying over us almost hourly in some of these towns, that entire regions in your town or around your town are on a state of alert or an evacuation order.”

However, Premier John Horgan reiterated Friday (July 16) that the province will not enact the state of emergency unless experts in the field formally recommend doing so.

‘”I think most British Columbians would prefer that I listen to the people that know what they’re doing, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

The TNRD’s formal request is now on the table, and Blackwell and other representatives say it’s what constituents have asked for — not a partisan debate.

“This is what they’re asking us on a daily basis, on an hourly basis — why hasn’t the government declared a state of emergency? So we are representing, we are advocating at this point, we are doing what we were elected for,” he explains. “This is not about politics, this is about representation.”