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The Eileen Madson Primary school choir sang a few songs during the annual Valley Voices community choir Christmas concert at Christ Church Trinity on Saturday, December 6th.
Mainroad responds to highway maintenance criticism DAN WALTON dan@invermerevalleyecho.com Poor travelling conditions have caused many drivers in the East Kootenay to express frustration with Mainroad Contracting, the service hired by the province to maintain the roads. Condemnation of Mainroad’s work has been rampant on local social media pages, and Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett was heard criticizing Mainroad on The Drive, a Cranbrook radio station, last Thursday, December 4th. “We went through the same thing last year,” Bennett said, adding that there is no valid excuse. “Mainroad needs to do something about it.” Bennett said solutions are currently being discussed with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the governing body which awards the servicing contract.
To respond to the complaints, Main“When you get that type of a rainroad hosted a meeting in Cranbrook on storm and that type of a flash freeze, Friday, December 5th. you’re really at the mercy of Mother “There’s been a lot of misinformation Nature.” and lots of comments, and it was time Asked about Mr. Bennett’s comments to rebuff some of it and put some facts on the poor performance of Mainroad, to the reality,” Al Sander, general man- Sander disagreed. ager at Mainroad East Kootenay, told “He has his beliefs, but I don’t take my The Valley Echo. direction from him,” he He said the Minissaid. “We take our di... you’re really try of Transportarection from the transat the mercy of tion conducted 80 port ministry and their audits in the East Mother Nature. local reps, and that’s AL SANDER Kootenay over the who orchestrates the MAINROAD EAST KOOTENAY GM past two weeks, and contract and holds us just two measured beneath the provin- to the standards of the contract.” cial standard. He said the contract that Mainroad is Sander said Mainroad has taken no bound to was set out by the Ministry missteps so far this winter, and doesn’t of Transportation, and according to believe that a competing agency could them, the contractual obligations are have performed better. being fulfilled. According to Sander, last winter, and so Mainroad’s current ten-year contract far this season, precipitation in the East for the East Kootenay will be up for reKootenay has been abnormally intense. newal in September 2016.
He said the new contract will likely span ten years as well. The Facebook group “Taking Back East Kootenay Highways”, which more than 1,500 members have joined, has been created to oust Mainroad. A petition is circulating through the group to see the legislative assembly of B.C. remove Mainroad as the East Kootenay contractor. Sander said Mainroad cannot see the content of the group, but is aware of its existence and purpose. He said the social media avenues for Mainroad to communicate with taxpayers are currently under discussion with the province. Asked how best to communicate frustration with Mainroad, Mr. Sander said it depends on the nature of the complaint, adding that “anybody who calls, we talk to them — as long as the people come forward in a respectful manner.”
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