Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) plans to have its rainstorm-battered mainline between Kamloops and Vancouver reopened to grain and other traffic around midday Tuesday. The company said Monday that out of 30 storm-damaged spots across its Thompson and Cascade subdivisions in southern British Columbia, 20 had seen “significant loss of infrastructure” in need of repair. CP […] Read more

CP to reopen rail corridor to Vancouver Tuesday
B.C. storm led to damage in 30 separate spots, railway says

Repair work on B.C. rail lines expected for days yet
CP expects to resume service 'mid-week;' some highways open only for essential travel
Canada’s big two railways expect repair work to continue into at least next week before service can resume through storm-battered areas of British Columbia to export terminals at Vancouver. Both railways, along with several major B.C. highways, have been shut this week due to damage from flooding and landslides spurred by a major multi-day storm […] Read more

Panicked shoppers clear out flood-hit B.C.’s grocery stores
Reuters — Shoppers in British Columbia have emptied grocery shelves following catastrophic flooding, although the shortages are as much down to panic buying as disrupted supply chains, industry associations said on Thursday. Even as flood waters start to recede, some parts of the province are expected to face to temporary shortages of dairy supplies, with […] Read more
Thousands in B.C. still stranded by flood waters
'We are not out of this by a long shot'
Abbotsford | Reuters — Rescuers and workers in British Columbia were still trying to reach 18,000 people stranded on Thursday after floods and mudslides destroyed roads, houses and bridges in what could be the costliest natural disaster in the country’s history. Receding flood waters were helping rescue efforts, but the downpour blocked off entire towns […] Read more

B.C. calls emergency, expects more deaths from 500-year flood
Some livestock die, more are expected to be euthanized
Abbotsford | Reuters — The death toll in Canada from massive floods and landslides that devastated parts of British Columbia is set to rise, with the province declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday. Authorities have so far confirmed one death after torrential rains and mudslides destroyed roads and left several mountain towns isolated. At […] Read more

Grain flow uncertain as floods halt B.C. rail, road traffic
MarketsFarm — It’s too early yet to determine the effect of massive floods in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland on grain movement, according to the company monitoring Canada’s grain handling and transportation system. Up to 200 millimetres of rain earlier this week have triggered mudslides and cut access to rail lines and highways east of Vancouver. […] Read more

Small navy of farmers rescues cattle in flood-hit B.C.
Abbotsford | Reuters — A flotilla of motorboats, canoes, dinghies and jet-skis helmed by farmers raced to move dozens of trapped cows from frigid waters as floods hit British Columbia. After a month’s worth of rain in two days, the downpours triggered widespread flooding. Mudslides hit cities and towns across the province. Among the worst-affected […] Read more

B.C. rains shut CN, CP mainlines and Highways 1, 7
Repairs already underway, CN says
The effects of rainstorms pelting southern British Columbia’s Interior have reached into the Prairies by effectively cutting off grain traffic to Vancouver. Canadian National Railway said Tuesday that heavy rainfalls in the region have led to mudslides and washouts on its network. Crews are inspecting affected areas and “carrying out repairs which are critical to […] Read more

Severe B.C. rainstorms spur landslides, shut roads
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian helicopters carried out multiple missions on Monday to rescue hundreds of people trapped in their vehicles on a highway after huge rainstorms sparked landslides in British Columbia. The rainstorms that started on Sunday triggered landslides, shut roads, prompted the evacuation of an entire community, forced an oil pipeline to close […] Read more

B.C. calling halt to mink farming
Live mink on farms to be banned in 2023
British Columbia’s remaining mink farmers are “devastated” by the province’s proposal to phase out their industry over risks related to COVID-19. The province announced Friday it’s starting the process toward a permanent ban on mink farming — beginning with a ban on mink breeding, followed by a ban on live mink on farms by April […] Read more