By Chad Klassen

Wildfires, rail spills major concerns for Barriere going into warmer season

Apr 25, 2018 | 5:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — While many Interior communities are bracing for flooding, the District of Barriere is more concerned about a spill into the North Thompson River with hundreds of rail cars carrying oil going through the community.

Barriere signed a mutual benefits agreement with Kinder Morgan in 2015 and mayor Virginia Smith believes a pipeline is a safer alternative to transporting oil. She thinks there is a greater risk of a spill.

“Certainly when the freshet comes, that river gets moving very quickly, which is a big concern with all the oil tankers going down it. That’s a huge concern for us,” says Smith. “That’s probably a bigger concern than flooding even. We have the railway line right along the river and there are hundreds and hundreds of oil tankers that go down there. If one goes ever, it’s going to be a nightmare.”

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 WAYS TO HEAL: What we cannot see

Apr 20, 2026

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: April 20, 2026

Apr 20, 2026

Question of the Week

Do you support the two AAPs launched by the City of Kamloops Monday?

Apr 20, 2026

Smith says a warm, drying trend has the community nervous again about the upcoming wildfire season.

“The biggest fear for us, of course, is still fire,” she notes. “It’s very dry already and that’s a concern. So we have been talking about what are we going to do if something happens and just being prepared.”

by Chad Klassen

Click here to report an error or typo in this article

Wildfires, rail spills major concerns for Barriere going into warmer season

Our Community