PROTECTING ECONOMIC STABILITY AND EMERGENCY MOBILITY THROUGH SECONDARY TRANSPORTATION ROUTES (2026)

Issue

Communities across British Columbia that rely on a single highway corridor to connect with the next major urban centre face increasing economic and public safety risks due to recurring closures caused by wildfires, landslides, accidents, and security incidents. As climate-related events increase in frequency, ensuring both economic resiliency and environmental sustainability must be balanced in infrastructure planning. With health care, post-secondary education, supplies, and other essential services and products increasingly centralized in urban hubs, the absence of reliable and strategically prioritized secondary transportation options represents a critical infrastructure vulnerability requiring provincial action.

Background

Highway 97 serves as the sole north-south connector between Penticton and Kelowna. Over the past decade, this corridor has been repeatedly closed due to landslides[1], wildfires[2], collisions, and other emergency events[3]. During these closures, residents, businesses, emergency responders, and medical patients have been left without a safe and viable alternative route.

The lack of a maintained secondary corridor has resulted in:

1. Supply Chain Disruption: Businesses rely on predictable transportation for inventory, agricultural inputs, construction materials, and time-sensitive deliveries. Disruptions increase operating costs and reduce reliability in commercial contracts.
2. Labour Market Constraints: When employees cannot commute due to corridor closures, businesses face reduced productivity and service interruptions. This is particularly critical for health care workers, trades, tourism operators, and service-sector employees.
3. Tourism Revenue Loss: The South Okanagan’s tourism sector depends heavily on seamless access from Kelowna International Airport and the Central Okanagan. Corridor closures reduce visitor confidence and redirect travel spending to other regions.
4. Investor Confidence and Risk Perception: Investors evaluate infrastructure redundancy when assessing regional expansion opportunities. Communities reliant on a single transportation corridor are perceived as higher-risk markets, particularly amid increasing climate-related events.
5. Agricultural and Perishable Goods Risk: The Okanagan’s agricultural sector depends on reliable transportation for time-sensitive shipments. Even temporary closures can result in spoilage, missed export windows, and financial losses.

During closures of Highway 97, including the January 27, 2025, Bennett Bridge incident[4], motorists attempted to use FSR 201 in unsafe conditions[5], resulting in emergency rescue operations. Forest Service Roads are overseen by the Ministry of Forests, and maintenance responsibility lies with industrial users holding permits such as forest (logging) companies. FSR’s are not built or maintained to the same standard as roads intended for public use[6].

This issue is not unique to the South Okanagan. In September 2025, Highway 20 connecting Bella Coola to Williams Lake was briefly closed due to the Beef Trail Creek wildfire.[7] While the closure only lasted for a day, it had the potential to sever the community from the rest of British Columbia for an indefinite amount of time, and with it their economy which is based on eco- and adventure tourism, forestry, and commercial fishing and processing.

In June 2023, the Cameron Bluffs wildfire forced the closure of Highway 4, the only paved corridor linking Port Alberni, Tofino, and Ucluelet to the rest of Vancouver Island. The highway was closed for weeks and resulted in more than $60 million in lost revenue for those three communities[8], demonstrating the economic vulnerability of tourism and service-based economies when a single corridor fails.

Transportation redundancy is not a discretionary convenience, it is foundational economic infrastructure required to safeguard business continuity, protect jobs, and secure the long-term competitiveness of British Columbia’s regional economies. Solutions must be scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible.

The Chamber Recommends

That the Provincial Government:

1. Develop a targeted provincial resiliency framework that identifies and prioritizes communities most at risk due to single-corridor dependence, while integrating environmental and ecological considerations into infrastructure planning.
2. Prioritize the assessment and improvement of existing alternate routes — including select Forest Service Roads where feasible — focusing on safety, seasonal operability, and emergency readiness, rather than defaulting to new route construction.
3. Implement a phased and prioritized investment strategy that focuses first on high-risk corridors, supported by dedicated, multi-year funding tied to clear economic and safety outcomes.
4. Conduct formal cost-benefit and economic impact analyses that compare multiple solutions, including route improvements, mitigation strategies (e.g., slope stabilization, wildfire prevention), and demand management, to ensure the most effective use of public funds.
5. Collaborate with local governments, Indigenous communities, emergency services, and industry stakeholders to validate need, share data, and build broader provincial support for prioritized action.