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Thursday, October 25, 2018 | Your community newspaper since ince 1916
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Sink hole sealed Crews pave Winnipeg Street at Carney Street Wednesday morning. Winnipeg Street has been closed for several weeks as crews repaired a pipe that caused a sink hole.
Landslide prompts evacuation Legal challenge
against Site C dismissed
Matt PREPOST Alaska Highway News The ground beneath the Old Fort landslide had been moving for months before it finally let go in a massive collapse in September and forced more than 150 residents to evacuate their homes. Geologists that have been studying the slide since it let go Sept. 30 were pushed for answers about their findings and the future facing evacuees during a tense, two-hour sit-in at the Peace River Regional District office in Fort St. John on Wednesday. It’s been 17 days since residents were ordered to evacuate on Oct. 7, one week after the nearby hillside collapsed and destroyed the only road in and out of Old Fort. The landslide started because of failure in the bedrock, said Tim Smith, a senior engineering geologist with Westrek Geotechnical Services. That triggered another slide to the west of it and sent a large tension crack splitting out to the east toward Old Fort homes. The company is analyzing its data and assessing the future risks to the community. Those will be filed in a report to the regional district, which will make the ultimate decision on whether residents can return home, Smith said. “We’re trying to work out, if this thing fails, where does it go to? And are there houses on the east side of the main slide that could be at risk?” said Smith, who was questioned by residents and regional district board chair Brad Sperling during a phone call at the sit-in. “We’re trying to get an under-
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Alaska Highway News
MINISTRY OF FORESTS AND LANDS PHOTO BY MARTEN GEERTSEMA
In this undated handout photo, a slow moving landslide is seen inching down a hillside near Old Fort, B.C. standing on how fast this slide is likely to move, and does that give them (residents) time to get out if something goes on.” “If the slide goes again, how fast does it move, how big do we think it’s going to be, and where does it end up getting to? From there, we can say, ‘Well, this is what we recommend,’” he said. The bedrock failed in the area of a gravel pit that had been operating on the hillside above Old Fort, according to Smith. The slide was last estimated at more than eight million cubic metres, and has pushed its way down through a gully beneath the gravel pit and into a back channel of the
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Peace River. Evidence so far suggests the ground had been moving for months before its collapse, Smith said. “This piece of ground has been moving for quite a while before it let go,” he said. “It’s a pretty big slide. It’s not just what has happened so far.” Data from a laser light survey technique called LiDAR continues to be collected daily, and recent data hasn’t shown any significant movement of the landslide, Smith said. However, that could change, and winter weather will be a factor. — see ‘THE POSITION, page 3
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tried, as well as the risk of ‘irreparable harm’ being suffered, ordering a trial of the treaty infringement claim to occur before the reservoir is flooded. My client has every intention of proceeding to trial and will also consider appealing this judgment,” said Tim Thielmann of Sage Legal. “We are disappointed the Court chose not to suspend work immediately, but landslides and potential appeal may force the same result. West Moberly and Prophet River do not believe this Project will ever be completed. Taxpayers should ask how many billions of dollars will be wasted before it finally grinds to a halt.” In a statement, BC Hydro CEO Chris O’Riley said the Crown utility continues construction. “BC Hydro has reached benefit agreements with the majority of First Nations that we consult with on Site C. We remain committed to working with Indigenous communities to build relationships that respect their interests, O’Riley said.
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We are disappointed the Court chose not to suspend work immediately...
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dismissed a bid by two Treaty 8 First Nations to halt work on the $10.7-billion Site C dam. Justice Warren Milman refused to grant an injunction to West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations on Wednesday, but ordered a trial on whether the project infringes aboriginal treaty rights be held by mid2023, before the dam’s reservoir is filled. The First Nations wanted work on all, or some portions of Site C be stopped until then. However, granting the injunction would put Site C into “disarray,” Milman said. “Although the claim raises a serious question to be tried, West Moberly’s chances of ultimately succeeding with it and halting the Project permanently are not strong,” Milman wrote in his 98-page decision. “The proposed injunction, in either of its iterations, would be likely to cause significant and irreparable harm to BC Hydro, its ratepayers and other stakeholders in the Project, including other First Nations and that harm outweighs the risk of harm to West Moberly flowing from not granting an injunction.” The First Nations plan to pursue the trial, and are considering an appeal of Milman’s ruling, their lawyer said. “The court acknowledged that there was a serious issue to be
— Tim Thielmann
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