B.C.’s Transportation Ministry has formally apologized to the Revelstoke public for a series of blasts it detonated for avalanche training Nov. 20 in a new location, which surprised and unsettled numerous residents.
Posts populated the Revelstoke Community Facebook from Big Eddy, Columbia Park and beyond on Nov. 20 inquiring about more than a dozen explosions heard on the west side the Columbia River.
Some residents reported their homes shaking, while others described having to calm down their pets after the unexpected shock.
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In a statement to Black Press Media, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) said it conducted training on that Thursday for deploying avalanche control explosives by helicopter. This occurred north of Revelstoke on a mountain slope next to Westside Road.
Unlike in Rogers Pass, where Parks Canada regularly resorts to howitzers operated by the Canadian Armed Forces to displace hazardous snowpacks, the most common way for MOTT to blast avalanches is by helicopter.
“This training ensures staff readiness for the upcoming avalanche season and is critical to help keep both workers and the public safe,” MOTT emphasized. “The ministry does this training annually under provincial and federal safety rules.”
However, as this training happened away from the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 23 and didn’t disrupt traffic, MOTT said it didn’t post any notices to DriveBC.
While residents weren’t advised directly, various other parties were. MOTT said all its major stakeholders were notified “as usual,” which included phone calls to Emcon Services, RCMP, BC Hydro, Revelstoke Snowmobile Club, Jake-Jay Construction Ltd. and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, “which had workers in the immediate area.”
But “due to weather conditions, the training location changed slightly compared to previous years, which is likely why nearby residents heard the blasts,” MOTT explained. “The ministry apologizes for any inconveniences this situation may have caused the community.”
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It said it will continue updating its major stakeholders about future helicopter explosives training.
To learn more about MOTT’s avalanche safety program, visit gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-environment/avalanche-safety-program.