Editor:
The following letter was sent to B.C.’s deputy minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Kathryn Krishna, and shared with Coast Reporter:
In an email dated March 16, 2022, Ms. Pam Ryan of your staff commented that she had “no significant updates to report” in respect of yet another study being undertaken by your Ministry. We were first interviewed for this study back in July 2021 and in August 2021 were told “Ministry staff are leading the study along with shíshálh Nation staff. We have retained R.F. Binnie & Associates to conduct the technical analysis, under Ministry direction.” “No significant updates” and no engagement with the community in almost a year is unacceptable.
Are you aware that, in the last three months, there has been another fatality on our “highway”? And a truck dumping its load of logs onto a sidewalk across from an elementary school? And an accident in Sechelt that blocked the highway to all users for several hours and resulted in two persons being hospitalized?
Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents! Our “goat trail” is a dangerous aging road that cannot be adequately fixed to serve our community now and in the future. No amount of studies and minor improvements will change this.
Ms. Krishna, we are writing to you because the current issues are not about political policies and direction. We need professional experts to work with the community to complete the long overdue assessment of how to build and pay for a new highway that will deliver much needed public safety, liveability, sustainability and economic viability to residents of and visitors to the Coast.
With this in hand, all of us can seek such approvals as are necessary from our politicians – which should be fairly straightforward given our MLA, Nicholas Simons, recently confirmed his agreement that we need a real highway.
In conclusion, we ask that you engage with us and others in our community on a timely proactive basis, to undertake this vitally important project, together.
Robin Merriott, For Sunshine Coast Highway Society
