B.C. commits $3 million to improve safety along Highway of Tears

VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s government is looking to improve transportation safety along a 750-kilometre stretch of highway renowned for the number of women who have been murdered or gone missing along or near the route.

A long-awaited announcement for the so-called Highway of Tears will see $3 million go towards enhancing existing transit services, expanding driver-training programs and helping local communities buy and operate transit vehicles.

The province has earmarked $500,000 to install webcams and transit shelters along Highway 16, a remote, northern route between Prince George and Prince Rupert.

The announcement builds off a symposium held last month in Smithers, B.C., which was attended by many who have been calling for a better transportation system between communities along the highway.

Overseeing the program’s implementation is a nine-person advisory panel, made up of representatives from the province, local government, health authorities and First Nations groups.

Eighteen women, many of them aboriginal, have been murdered or disappeared along Highway 16 or adjacent routes since the 1970s.

READ MORE: A list of the victims along B.C.’s Highway of Tears

“We have committed to provide safe, practical and sustainable transportation services for communities along the Highway 16 corridor. And today, we are unveiling a five point action plan for safe transportation options along the corridor,” said Transportation Minister Todd Stone.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the challenges along the corridor and this action plan provides flexibility for communities to determine how to best apply new funding to meet their specific needs.”

There had been requests by some First Nations community to create a shuttle bus that would run regularly between Prince Rupert and Prince George – but Stone has said the idea would be impractical.

Instead, $750,000 has been earmarked over the next three years years for a community transportation grant program, where new vehicles would be purchased on a cost-shared basis with local communities to support transportation programs operated by First Nations, local governments or non-profit organizations.

Burns Lake Mayor Luke Strimbold, who is part of the advisory group, said the $3-million funding announcement marks historic progress in improving safety along Highway 16.

“Our communities now have a framework we can work towards to implement transportation solutions,” said Strimbold.

First Nations Health Authority spokesman Richard Jock is also on the board and shared Strimbold’s optimism. He emphasized the opportunity to improve access to health care for people living in remote communities.

“We’re looking forward to working in particular with our northern health partners to see how this can really be part of effective transportation response in the North,” he said.

Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach spoke positively about the government’s plan, but at the same time raised concerns.

“The key question is whether the amount of resources that are being put on the table are going to be adequate to fix the problem,” he said.

“I’m not sure that $1.6 million over two years is going to provide affordable, accessible transportation for all of the small communities in our region. The problem is somewhat larger.”

New Democrat member of the legislature and northern health critic Jennifer Rice questioned if the plan’s cost-sharing approach would be financially feasible for all northern communities.

“Families of murdered and missing women have been waiting for some action for well over a decade,” she said.

“But having some money put towards improving transportation in the North is positive.”

Stone said the government will have a better idea about how the funding will be distributed after the advisory panel meets with local groups and reports back to him by early March.

-With files from Global News