Sicamous council is being served up a strong message from more than 600 community members.
Members of a citizens group, The Community for No Bridge on Main Street, presented a petition to the District of Sicamous Friday, all in opposition to a proposal for the construction of a bridge across the channel.
More than 600 people, all taxpayers in the area, signed the document.
“We felt the community had spoke out about their opposition to a bridge on Main Street when the Ministry of Highways did their survey. But council, and the mayor especially, continue to indicate it as a preferred option, so we decided to do this petition as a way to add another level of opposition,” says Judy Moore, one of the petition’s organizers. “We are handing in this petition to the district, and sending it to the Ministry of Highways, so drive home the point that this idea does not have support from the community at large.”
Moore says the volunteers gathering the signatures worked hard to ensure that people who signed are local taxpayers. The petition drive was underway for eight months.
“I think if we’d have allowed visitors to sign, after they heard that this plan will decimate our beautiful Main Street Landing Park, where many visitors like to stop, we would have had thousands of signatures.”
Sicamous Mayor Terry Rysz says he and council met with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) prior to the May election to discuss options but has no new information.
While he says council is considering all options, there are several favourable aspects of the Main Street bridge – faster egress for emergency services, revival of the downtown area and connectivity to the CP Rail trail.
“A the same time, if there are elements in this whole thing that do not benefit Sicamous, we wouldn’t be for it,” he says, noting the project involves federal and provincial governments.
Rysz says he is aware there are members of the community who do not want the Main Street bridge and have expressed their opinion in a petition.
“It’s part of the democratic process; they did bring a delegation to council and we respect their reasons,” he says.
Despite the group’s concern they are not being heard by local politicians, Moore says they are frustrated with the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for the lack of information on the plans for replacing the Bruhn Bridge and other alternatives.
“We have repeatedly asked for more, updated information and we are just not getting it,” says Moore. “How can our community make choices without the proper information?”
Moore notes this also appears to be a frustration for district council.
“I do feel that council is expressing a similar frustration with the lack of information from the province on this. I think there is frustration on our side, but also frustration from the council’s side. They want more information also. I think the councillors need to be saying that if they are not given the information required to make an informed decision, the whole thing should be taken off the table.”
Council had a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) in May but have heard nothing since that time. Rysz hopes to have more information following a meeting with the new NDP transportation minister at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) conference in late September.
“We’re carrying on where we left off with the previous government,” he says. “It’s the TCH and with all kinds of complications,” he says pointing to the problems of trying to improve the Bruhn Bridge site – access, presence of the CP Rail tracks and a large rock face. “You can understand why they didn’t want to do it there.”
With the election of a new government, Moore is also hoping the replacement of the Bruhn Bridge does not get pushed to the back burner.
“We need a new bridge at the Number 1 Highway over to Sicamous, there’s no doubt about that.”