B.C. legislator says residents didn’t get phone alerts about landslide evacuation

An update from the Peace River Regional District says sections of Old Fort Road have been destroyed by the active landslide, and there’s “no safe access to or from the community.”

Residents who were not able to leave after an evacuation order was issued late Monday have been asked to shelter in a safe place and conserve essential supplies, as “emergency services and essential resources are unable to reach Old Fort” at this time.

Kealy says about 70 people have been evacuated, while others have chosen to stay in the area, where a landslide in 2018 also forced an evacuation.

“I’m so sorry that you’re having to go through this all over again,” Kealy says in a video statement posted on his Facebook channel. “This year we got a lot of moisture, a lot of snow, and now it’s all melting. We’re seeing water melting all over the place in our region.”

Kealy said he met with Transport Minister Mike Farnworth and learned that government officials are monitoring the slide, and once it becomes manageable, they will evaluate the situation.

The regional district says the site of the slide is “extremely unstable and still actively moving.”

In an update Wednesday evening, it said a section of the road has been displaced about 48 metres downslope.

The district says B.C.’s Transportation Ministry has identified debris buildup, visible cracking and pooling within the slide area.

“These conditions may result in sudden and unpredictable changes in movement, including direction and speed, and there remains the potential for impacts beyond the current slide area,” the district says. “Conditions are unstable and can change without warning.”

B.C.’s Transportation Ministry said in a separate statement that its staff are monitoring the slide.

“The ministry will work to re-establish access to the community as soon as it is safe,” it said in a statement Wednesday.

It says emergency support services are available for evacuees, and the province is working with the regional district and other partners to ensure they have the information and resources they need to respond effectively.

The district’s emergency operations centre has said that their experience from the previous slide indicates it may take weeks for the terrain beneath the access road to stabilize, and the situation is “rapidly evolving.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

B.C. legislator says residents didn’t get phone alerts about landslide evacuation

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