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By Dylana Kneeshaw

NEW DISTRICT MAYOR

Barriere’s mayor-elect eyes second ambulance status, Highway 5 safety concerns

Mar 5, 2025 | 5:25 PM

BARRIERE, B.C. — Former Barriere councillor Rob Kerslake was elected mayor this past weekend, filling the seat left by former mayor-turned-MLA Ward Stamer. The district’s new mayor says there are a few lingering concerns on his desk.

Over the next two years, Kerslake says the district is going to be focused on bringing a new wastewater treatment plant and infrastructure improvements to Barriere, while continuing to advocate for solutions to longer-term issues.

“There’s one right on the table right now and that’s our second ambulance in Barriere. The provincial government is making cuts everywhere and we don’t want to lose their second ambulance. It’s been working well for two years. We don’t know that we’re going to lose it, but we want to head that off right away,” Kerslake says, adding the district expects to hear of the status of the second ambulance on March 10.

The other key concern for area residents has been safety along the Highway 5 corridor. The highway through the North Thompson has seen several fatal vehicle incidents in recent years and Kerslake says council plans to keep reiterating the serious need for safety improvements to the Ministry of Transportation.

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“There have been improvements, for sure, with the added enforcement, but the whole highway needs upgrades,” Kerslake points out. “There needs to be an investment into the infrastructure itself, like more passing lanes.”

After this recent by-election, mayor and council will serve a little under two years in office, with the next municipal election in B.C. scheduled for October, 2026.