EaglE VallEy
NEWS
District looks at maintenance options for park Page 3
ERS students fundraise for trip Page 5
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 PM40008236
Vol. 55 No. 36 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Making the connection: Sicamous Summer Day Camp Kidz attendee Taiya Stead makes contact with the ball during a tennis lesson conducted by district recreation and wellness coordinator West Martin-Patterson. Photo by Lachlan Labere
Financial impacts of flooding linger Damage: District council continues lobbying effort to recoup emergency costs from 2012. By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
The District of Sicamous continues to struggle with the B.C. government to recoup costs associated with last year’s debris flow and flooding. Last summer, on June 23, a devastating debris flow from Sicamous Creek into the 2 Mile subdivision pushed the community into a state of emergency. The situation was exacerbated by the subsequent high water in Shuswap and Mara lakes that caused wide-scale flooding.
Last week, council addressed two letters concerning expenses relating to costs incurred during the emergency and after. One was from Emergency Management BC, stating the district’s recovery plan that describes recovery work required to restore infrastructure to pre-event condition had been approved to a maximum of $356,050. But, while all the works noted in the plan total exactly that amount, Emergency Management BC (EMBC) states the district is only eligible for 80 per cent of the accepted claim that exceeds the first $1,000, meaning Sicamous will be
receiving $284,040. Perhaps a greater sore spot for council, however, is EMBC’s unwillingness to consider the $169,698 the district spent to provide potable water during the disaster to residents and tourists an eligible expense. The letter states the region’s emergency program co-ordinator recalls previous flooding events where the province, through the Provincial Emergency Program, has supplied potable water to communities with similarly compromised water systems, yet EMBC has remained
adamant in denying Sicamous all potable water costs. “It is difficult to understand that if an earthquake in the Lower Mainland destroyed the domestic water systems for those cities, that the Province would not be involved in the acquisition, distribution and provision of water to our citizens,” the letter states. Sicamous Mayor Darrell Trouton says that overall, Sicamous has done well in recouping costs related to the incidents of and following June 23. However, he feels See Council appeals on page 2