2 days ago
Swift News
A recent provincial court hearing landed a motorist a $4,500 fine and a two-year park access prohibition for entering a closed section of the Trans-Canada Highway in Rogers Pass — not once, but twice — during avalanche control. In a statement to Black Press Media, Parks Canada shared that, last winter, a traveller drove through a Highway 1 closure in Glacier National Park while live explosives were being used to displace precarious snow, endangering the national transportation corridor. “Last winter, a major winter storm created high avalanche risk in Mount Revelstoke and Glacier national parks, forcing a temporary closure of the highway between Revelstoke and Golden,” public relations officer Guylaine St-Gelais wrote in the statement. “Despite the closure, an individual entered a restricted area twice during avalanche control operations.”
The motorist was charged under the Canada National Parks Act and recently sentenced during an appearance in B.C. provincial court. A chunk of their $4,500 fine was paid as a donation to Avalanche Canada, which typically happens with national park violations related to winter operations in Rogers Pass. “This incident underscores the critical importance of respecting highway closures along the Trans-Canada Highway in winter and reminds those travelling in the mountains of key winter safety considerations,” St-Gelais said. “Closures are in place to protect the (travelling) public and those conducting high-risk operations like avalanche control.”