The Meeting with Minister Shirley Bond was attended by Mike Proudfoot Deputy Minister of Highways, Scott Fraser MLA for Alberni-Pacific Rim
Area F Director Lou Biggeman, President CMRA Elaine Peligren, Vice President CMRA, Gerry Anderson, Information Officer CMRA Dave Jones, Member CMRA Reg Noseworthy.
Introduction were made around the Table and then Reg Started the presentation.
May 19, 2010
The CMRA is incorporated with over 300 members. One key objective is to provide a Safe, Efficient Road Network System for our neighborhoods in Electoral Areas F and H of the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Current Issues
1. Highway #19 Access – Carbon Footprint
– to go anywhere, we must drive large loops to get onto the Inland Island Highway #19
– at present traffic volumes, we drive:
– an extra 6.36 million kilometres/year
– this generates 1,731 tonnes of CO2 emissions/year
A map was handed out showing the routes we drive to get to 19.
2. Growth Concerns
– in 1994 when Highway #19 came through, only 5.5% of the current households existed
– the estimated growth since then is 1820% and growing
– the population growth rate for Area F in the 2006 census was 20% – mostly in Meadowood
– Meadowood economic growth projection – $135 Million pending approval, $¼ Billion potential
Public Safety – there is only one road in and out of Meadowood – “Meadowood Corcan Corridor”
A map from the RDN website was handed out showing the forest fire hazards.
– risk classification on the RDN Forest Fire Hazard map is “EXTREME” for Meadowood and “HIGH” for the Lower Corcan Corridor.
– a forest fire in the Lower Corridor, with an anabatic wind, would be catastrophic for Meadowood
4. Disaster Planning
– a single “one way out” evacuation route will be chaotic for emergency units trying to come in
– there is no public, secondary forest fire “disaster escape route” or signage in our area
– Meadowood has 48% of its population in the high risk 55+ age group
Dave Jones Continued the presentation
I would like to discuss our community’s safety with only 1 route out, 500 homes built, and an elder care facility under construction all up a mountain slope.
This is an excerpt from the BC firefighting black line masters intermediate training course:
“Anabatic winds make firefighting difficult in the mountains of British Columbia. Warm winds blowing uphill make fires move more rapidly up a mountain. Fires traveling uphill are dangerous for fire fighters because they are nearly impossible to outrun. A well trained firefighter would never allow him or herself to be caught in the path of a quickly moving fire with their only escape route being uphill.” Unfortunately, we were not trained forest firefighters when we bought and built in meadowood.
In our area, Anabatic winds blow regularly, setting up the perfect storm with more than 1000 people potentially trapped by a forest fire. We can find no evidence of a solution in any emergency preparedness plan. Is it possible for the Ministry of Transportation to help us address this problem?
48 % of our population is over 55. The risk of heart attack or stroke increases with age while best outcomes result from quick medical response. In the short term, we need an ambulance stationed at the Meadowood firehall. This will immediately cut down on response and transport time to hospital until freeway access or an alternate route can be funded and developed.
We believe that the Ministry of Transportation will respond to the needs of Corcan Meadowood subdivision, given that the ministry approved the development of the area.
This corridor, housing approximately 2000 people, needs a second public road to increase the safety and health of our community,
We have a list of questions and requests I would like to hand out to you.
I will go over them with you now
Questions for the Minister
1. What is the status of MOT efforts to open emergency access for emergency vehicles to Highway #19?
2. Is it possible to have an ambulance posted permanently at the Meadowood Fire Hall for medical emergency response? Will you support the Ministry of health in this initiative?
3. Is MOT aware of any grant programs available to study and recommend disaster escape route options for the residents of Meadowood?
4. Has MOT identified any other possible emergency escape routes that we can review with the Regional District of Nanaimo?
5. Will you research an escape route through the RDN Regional Park from Meadowood Road to the parking lot in Little Qualicum River Falls Provincial Park? Will you design the 1/2 mile road for us to Highway 4
6. Will MOT please advise the Corcan Meadowood Residents Association of the status of negotiations with the RDN Electoral Area F Director, started in 2004, for public road access to Highway 4 from the South end of Corcan Road?
7 Will the MOT Design the design on off ramps for highway 19? These plans would enable the community to obtain quotes on construction of the access.
8. Would the Minister, or her representative, be available to speak to the annual general meeting of the Corcan Meadowood Residents Association on October 2, 2010?
9. Will the Ministry of Transportation provide answers to our questions and requests prior to September 17th for review at the AGM?
Open discussion:
The Minister addressed questions 8 and 9 immediately, Yes to both.
The discussion went on for 1/2 an hour and was very promising, there will be meetings set up this summer and fall by Scott Fraser our MLA, so the CMRA can discuss these issues with the RDN, Provincial ministries and concerned citizens .