$270,300 TO IMPROVE EAST KOOTENAY FOREST ROADS

April 13, 2009

East Kootenay residents will benefit from $270,300 to improve travel and safety conditions on several Forest Service roads (FSRs), Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger and Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett announced today.

"These Forest Service road improvements will provide important access to extensive recreation opportunities for British Columbians," said Bennett. "As an important draw for tourists who covet B.C.'s backcountry, it's critical to the local tourism economy that these extensive roads are maintained."

The maintenance will occur over approximately 356 kilometres of Forest Service roads and the works include brushing, ditching, surface grading and packing.

Gray Creek, Redding Creek, and St. Mary's Lake FSRs provide a more direct, but rugged, link between Kootenay Lake and Kimberley. Pilot Bay FSR provides access from Highway 3A to Pilot Point Provincial Park, on the shores of Kootenay Lake.

The Bugaboo and Spillimacheen North FSRs, near Spillimacheen on the Columbia River, provide access to rural residences and numerous recreation sites, including Bugaboo Provincial Park. The Horsethief and Horsethief-Forster FSRs, near Radium, provide access to numerous recreation sites.

The Findlay and Whitetail Lake FSR, west of Canal Flats, provide access to a children's camp and recreation sites. The Whiteswan Lake and Lussier FSRs, east of Canal Flats, provide access to Whiteswan Lake Provincial Park, Lussier Hot Springs and Top of the World Provincial Park. The Bull River and Galbraith Creek FSRs, east of Cranbrook, provide access to various recreation sites.

"We want to ensure that crucial Forest Service Roads that connect rural communities, as well as parks and recreation areas, receive the maintenance needed to keep those communities accessible," said Bell.

"Communities in the Kootenays have told this government they value the economic and social opportunities that come from having a stronger road network. We listened and we are taking action to strengthen the connection between isolated communities and city centres," said Krueger. "Whether it's accessing health care, exploring new mineral opportunities or opening new regions to tourism, the benefits of this investment will strengthen the region as a whole."

British Columbia's 55,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system. As first announced by Premier Campbell at the 2008 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, the Ministry of Forests and Range is providing $20 million to improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links to rural communities and recreation sites. The Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada committed on April 7, 2009 to a further $20 million in shared funding for additional Forest Service road upgrades that will be announced in the coming months.

New road maintenance funding is the latest in a series of initiatives to improve safety on Forest Service roads, which include the establishment of radio protocols, speed enforcement through expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification Plates Program.

Media Contact:
Jennifer McLarty
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests and Range
250 387-4592