A Calgary man is raising concerns about the safety of a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Golden, B.C.
His daughter-in-law was killed there by falling rock, and his daughter and grandchildren narrowly avoided injury.
Laura Tennant, her wife Lisa and their two young children were driving from Cochrane to B.C. on March 4 to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.
“These two were fantastic moms who would not take a risk with their kids ever,” said Lisa’s father Alan Tennant from his home in Calgary.
Tennant said Lisa was driving. He was in a vehicle with his wife, about an hour behind the couple. Alan said they were chatting with the children on the phone.
“The kids were carrying on in the backseat, they were chiming in. Laura had said something funny. The anticipation of being together really soon was there,” he recalled.
“We could sense that Laura’s very last seconds were pure joy. Then we heard this horrible crash and screaming. We didn’t hear Laura’s voice and pretty soon it became apparent that something catastrophic had happened.”
About four kilometres east of Golden, a boulder came through the roof of the jeep. Laura died from her injuries. Lisa and the girls were spared.
“The boulder came to rest between the children in their car seats. It was a miracle that it wasn’t more catastrophic,” Tennant said.
“That’s a very narrow piece of road with an extreme cliff on the driver’s side. They were heading west and Lisa had the presence of mind to maintain control and think about protecting the family,” Tennant said.
He is now pushing for more awareness about the rockfall risks on that section of Highway 1.
“We have driven that road literally hundreds of times and I don’t remember ever seeing that many rocks — and rocks that size — on the highway. If this had been shared in advance — that there was a greater risk — I think we would’ve come, as we did when we came home, via Radium.”
In a statement, a spokesperson with the the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said:
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims of the recent rockfall incident on Highway 1 in the Kicking Horse Canyon. This was a tragic incident related to freeze/thaw conditions that occur frequently at this time of year.”
The statement also said that the recent rockfall occurred adjacent to the existing fencing.
“It’s a risk that people need to be more informed of and I think the government in BC really needs to consider making better use of those digital signs or social media,” Tennant said.
“Bottom line is that it came through the roof of that vehicle and I think there has to be some consideration of other ways to mitigate that risk.”
According to the statement, the rockfall was unrelated to work that’s underway on the Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 4 project.
“Rockfall is a hazard along many B.C. highways and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has dedicated staff and resources that work to identify, prioritize and mitigate rockfall hazards throughout the province. The rockfall protection near this site pre-dates the project and was installed by Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in an area identified by geotechnical engineers.
The Trans Canada Highway through the Kicking Horse Canyon travels through very challenging terrain with areas susceptible to rockfall, avalanche and other natural hazards. While it isn’t possible to identify and mitigate all natural hazards, past work in the area has worked to reduce the hazard and included the rockfall protection netting that pre-dates the initiation of the Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 4 project.”
According to the statement, construction experts and engineers are working to ensure public safety through the site, and that the highway is safe for travel during construction.
“As the construction work proceeds on the project, the contractor will be constructing larger catchment ditches and new rockfall protection that will increase the level of safety and reduce the risk of rockfall in the future.” the spokesperson said.
Tennant hopes learning comes from this tragedy.
“Laura was an expert skier but she didn’t take risks. She always evaluated and did research. I think most parents would want to know what the risk was before they made a choice and not presume because we are also familiar with that piece of road, that it’s manageable. For us, it’s a no-go until we know with certainty that it’s a safe road again.
“Bottom line is that it came through the roof of that vehicle and I think there has to be some consideration of other ways to mitigate that risk.”
Planned completion on Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 4 is winter 2023-24.
From now through to April 2022, the highway will be open with 30-minute stoppages. A B.C. Transportation spokesperson said the stoppages will generally occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and there will also be full overnight closures nightly.
This summer during the day, the highway through the canyon will remain fully open. Overnight, interruptions may range from 20 minute stoppages to 8 hour closures.
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