In late December Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond and Council declared a local state of emergency, as several major water mains broke during a cold snap in the coastal town off B.C.’s north coast.
Two of the water mains that broke were more than 100 years old and, although water to residential homes were not affected, one of the business districts of Prince Rupert was with out water for several days.
After nearly half a dozen water mains broke during the -15 temperature drop, mayor and council deemed it necessary to deal with the situation and bring in more local contractors to rectify the situation.
“We don’t want to alarm the community, and are working to manage the situation as best we can to ensure continuity in our water service,” said Mayor Herb Pond. “Calling a State of Local Emergency allows the City to call in the additional capacity and resources required to manage this situation.”
The state of emergency has since been suspended, however the issue has once again focused the community’s attention on their aging infrastructure needs and has now prompted Skeena MP Taylor Bachrach to seem the federal government’s help in filling those gaps to help replace critical infrastructure in Canada’s third largest port, Prince Rupert.
“With the city and province already at the table, a significant federal contribution is now essential to addressing Prince Rupert’s most critical infrastructure needs,” said Bachrach, who serves as both the NDP’s transport critic and deputy infrastructure critic. “My office is fully engaged in ensuring a successful outcome.”
In advance of the return to Parliament, Bachrach has written federal Infrastructure Minister, Dominic LeBlanc urging him to provide funding to address Prince Rupert’s ongoing infrastructure crisis.
“While the Port of Prince Rupert has grown into a nationally significant trade gateway, the City of Prince Rupert has faced serious challenges maintaining the municipal infrastructure necessary to support this growth,” Bachrach wrote in the letter. “There is now a very real risk of catastrophic failure of the city’s drinking water distribution system, which would profoundly affect its 12,000 residents and the operation of the port.”
Listen to the full interview with Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond below.