EAGLE VALLEY
NEWS
Parade kicks off Christmas festivities Page 7
Atom Eagles bag top spot in two tournaments Page 8
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 PM40008236
Vol. 58 No. 50 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Province will investigate rock quarry Mines act: District alleges gravel pit applicant may be in contravention. By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
The province will be investigating concerns raised by the district regarding a provincial permit application for a rock quarry at 200 Old Town Road. At their Nov. 27 meeting, Sicamous council received a letter from B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett, thanking they mayor and councillors for meeting with him in September at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. During this meeting, council raised concerns about gravel removal within the district. The letter refers to contraventions of the province’s Mines Act suspected by the district in relation to the proposed quarry. District administrator Heidi Frank said the ministry is responding by sending an inspector to investigate the district’s allegations. Bill Bennett “Then the assistant B.C. Minister deputy minister will discuss the matter with the regional inspector, and then follow up with us. So that’s their commitment on that,” said Frank. District staff first raised concerns about a proposed gravel pit on Old Town Road in December. The proposal included excavation, crushing, screening and blasting. Community planning officer Mike Marrs explained the mine would contravene the district’s official community plan and local zoning, and that there were already issues of encroachment that had yet to be rectified. Concerns were also raised regarding noise, the scope of the operation and truck traffic, which Marrs said would further diminish the lifespan of the Sicamous-Solsqua road bridge. The applicant, Murray Hillson, told the News he hoped the gravel pit would supply the nearby Old Town Bay development, and not cause wear on the bridge. As for blasting and crushing, he said this would occur over a two-week period late fall or See Ministry on page 2
Fire and ice: A semi and trailer ignite following a four vehicle incident Monday night on the Eagle River Bridge in Malakwa. No one was injured and the fire was extinguished before it could spread to the other vehicles. Photo by Kenn Mount
No injuries in collision on Malakwa bridge MOTI: Ministry staff assessing structural integrity of crossing. By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
The Eagle River Bridge in Malakwa was closed to traffic Tuesday morning following a multiple-vehicle incident involving a truck and three semis. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred on Monday, Dec. 9 at approximately 9:41 p.m., reported Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Dave Dubnyk. Officers responding to a report of a multi-vehicle accident on the bridge, about 15 kilometres east of Sicamous along the Trans-Canada
Highway, learned the blaze from a Ford Bronco had reaching the lost control, rolled other vehicles. and come to rest Columin the middle of bia Shuswap the highway. The Regional driver was able District fire to exit the vehicle services coSgt. Dave Dubnyk unharmed. Three ordinator Kenn Sicamous RCMP tractor-trailer Mount said units then drove the fire was into the accident hot enough to scene and became part of it . cause damage to the bridge. One of the semis wound Dubnyk said representaup blocking traffic, while tives from the Ministry of another became engulfed in Transportation and Infraflames. Firefighters from the structure were at the scene Malakwa Volunteer Fire De- Tuesday to assess the bridge’s partment, with aid from Si- structural integrity, and that camous, were able to prevent the cause of the incident re-
mains under investigation. The bridge was expected reopen to single lane, alternating traffic between 10 and 11 a.m. Over the summer, the ministry revealed plans to replace the Eagle River Bridge as part of the B.C. government’s commitment to four-lane the Trans-Canada. Work is expected to begin in the spring of 2014. It was noted during an open house hosted by the ministry staff that 30 collisions occurred on the bridge between 2002 and 2011. Two of those involved fatalities, 12 resulted in injury and 16 in property damage only.