The province will not take immediate action to upgrade Bamfield Main, but Premier John Horgan has committed to “first steps” for incremental improvements, says the chief councillor of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations.
“We want the premier to understand that we are not going to rest until our vital link is safe for all who travel the road,” said Robert Dennis Sr., who has been fighting for improvements to the road for more than two decades.
The privately owned gravel logging road is the only vehicle access between Port Alberni and First Nations communities in Bamfield. It is also the only route to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre — the destination of a bus carrying 45 University of Victoria students that crashed Sept. 13, killing two passengers.
The First Nation said Horgan told its representatives that the government began working on a engineering report for the road about a month ago. It said he has agreed to meet with the First Nation in November to review the study.
Horgan pledged last week to upgrade the 78-kilometre Bamfield Main logging road.
Dennis went into the meeting Tuesday hoping to hear how the premier plans to live up to that commitment, along with the timing and budget.
“We have been diligent for many years trying to get action on this, with upgrades to the road as our top priority as a nation,” he said. “We are saddened that it took a tragedy to highlight the need to chipseal the road.”
University of Victoria students Emma Machado, 18, of Winnipeg, and John Geerdes, 18, of Iowa City, Iowa, died Sept. 13 after a bus carrying 45 students, two teaching assistants and the driver crashed down an embankment while travelling from Port Alberni to Bamfield.
The 78-kilometre Bamfield Main includes 60 kilometres of road owned by Western Forest Products and 18 owned by Mosaic Forest Management, the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and the Ministry of Transportation, Dennis said.
Western Forest Products owns the stretch of road where the crash happened.
The province provides annual funding, but the forestry companies are responsible for maintenance.
Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions said she was “optimistic” about seeing the road upgraded, while Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District director Bob Beckett said he was expecting more from the province. “I am a little frustrated because I was hoping for a better outcome, but I remain optimistic because the premier is committed to working together with everyone involved to come up with a solution,” Beckett said.
