State of Emergency to Remain in Place

RCMP remain tight-lipped over landslide probe

The State of Local Emergency (SOLE) continues to remain in force more than three months after the devastating landslide that swept down Battani Creek, taking the lives of David and Barbara Enns.

Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell, who is also the Director of Emergency Operations, says the SOLE is expected to continue for several months, and will be reviewed and renewed every two weeks. "The SOLE will be removed when there will be no further work or activity in the affected area."

A large digger remains on Crystal Falls Road, but local residents say that work at the site has ground to a halt, with much of the area remaining in disarray. A gate preventing public access to Glendale and Goldenrod Avenues that was installed earlier this year remains in place.

The main structure of the bridge connecting Glendale Avenue with Crystal Falls Road survived the landslide, but temporary rails made of two-by-fours lumber that were installed after the bridge was cleared have not been replaced.

Investigation into the deaths continues, but the RCMP remain tight-lipped.

In response to a query from The Watershed, Squamish RCMP spokesperson Kelly Wu says "it would be safe to say that it could be months before information could potentially be released publicly."

Meanwhile, all the Council meetings on the topic continue to be behind closed doors.

This week, the curtain was lifted for a brief glimpse behind the scenes when Village staff inadvertently released the video of Tuesday's closed Council meeting. The video was posted to the Village of Lions Bay YouTube page overnight on Thursday before it was taken down Friday morning and replaced with a video of the open portion of the meeting.

The next regular meeting of Council is set for April 15 at 6 p.m.

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