Only four days after Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens publicly criticized the federal government for not sufficiently protecting the region from the threat of flooding, the city had a special visit from Premier David Eby and several ministers to show that the city can continue to count on support from the province.
The City of Abbotsford shared that the premier was part of a small group of local and provincial politicians who stopped off at several locations throughout the city on Tuesday (Dec. 16).
“Thank you to the Dykshoorn family for welcoming us to one of their Sumas Prairie farms and for explaining the toll significant repeat flooding is taking on Abbotsford farmers and agricultural producers,” said the city.
In addition to visiting local farms, the group also went to Barrowtown Pump Station to explore the role this facility plays in flood prevention.
The meetings included Siemens, Eby, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene, and Agriculture and Food Minister Lana Popham.
While these stops were happening, the city shared that the flood situation has further improved, with only 11 properties still under evacuation orders and 474 under evacuation alerts.
Environment Canada also reduced the weather alert from orange to yellow earlier today. However, a flood warning still remains for the Sumas River.