The BC Conservatives have criticized the NDP over what they deemed to be "ongoing failures" to address the risks posed by landslides.
The move comes just a month after a slide in Lions Bay claimed the lives of two people.
"The fatal Lions Bay landslide that claimed two lives on Dec. 14, 2024, follows 16 years of government inaction, mainly by the NDP," stated West Kelowna-Peachland MLA and Emergency Management Critic Macklin McCall said. "The province must take charge on this file to prevent further loss of life from landslides."
In 2008, the provincial government received a coroners report that included "clear recommendations" regarding what needed to be done. McCall lamented the fact that since then, officials have "failed to act on a single suggestion ... leaving people across the province vulnerable and causing BC to fall behind best practices."
"For decades, the provincial government has neglected landslide preparation, leaving our province's infrastructure unprepared and undefended," McCall continued. "This reactive approach has left British Columbia's highways, railways, and communities vulnerable to catastrophic events, risking people’s lives and billions in damages."
McCall went on to draw attention to the the November 2021 Pacific Northwest flood, declaring it "one of the most expensive natural disasters in national history." He said the event, which wreaked havoc on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island with high water levels and landslides "serves as a reminder of the cost of inaction."
"A Conservative government," he concluded, "will implement a proactive strategy to invest in resilient infrastructure and effective disaster preparedness to safeguard our province’s communities and defend our economy. It is time for real emergency management leadership that puts the safety of British Columbians first."