FIRE & DROUGHT – City closes nature parks and trails
Peterson Creek Park. (Image: Armchair Mayor photo)
All Kamloops nature parks and nature trails will be closed as of 4 p.m. today (Friday, Aug. 4, 2023).
The closure comes by the order of the Fire Chief (Fire Prevention Bylaw No. 10-37, Division 3) due to extreme fire danger and drought conditions, the City said in a news release. The closure includes Kamloops Bike Ranch.
The parks will be closed to bike, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic. Parks crews are in the process of installing closure signs and will continue to do so over the next few days.
Crews will also be monitoring City parks to ensure residents and visitors are abiding by closures, and Community Services Officers may issue fines for violations.
“Residents are reminded that smoking is always prohibited in all City parks and walking trails. Given the extremely dry conditions, the City urges residents to be extremely cautious with smoking materials in all areas of the city and to only use designated containers to dispose of cigarettes, matches, and other smoking-related materials.”
The City will also close the Barnhartvale landfill and yard waste depot, effective 4 p.m. today, and it will remain closed until further notice. Residents are encouraged to use other facilities. More information can be found at Kamloops.ca/Garbage.
“The public can play an important role in fire prevention by staying aware, reporting fires immediately, and keeping all vehicles and bikes away from dry areas. More information on prevention can be found here.
“To report people using closed parks, please call Community Services at 250-828-3409 and state the time and park location. The public is asked to call 911 immediately if a fire is suspected.”
ArmchairMayor.ca 
But construction activities in them (pipeline work in Kenna Cartwright park) or near them, which constitute a greater fire threat than walkers and the occasional cyclist, are still fully allowed…go figure.
LikeLike
Smoking is prohibited but enforcement of this bylaw and others for that matter never actually occurs.
LikeLike
Meanwhile the city isn’t closing the homeless encampments due to persistent fire risks. Does any of this make sense?
What is a greater fire risk – crackheads off their rocker lighting up fentanyl cigarettes and encampment BBQ parties down by the river, light fires behind businesses all year, or responsible, gainfully employed taxpayers that carry their own weight, and want to enjoy a trail?
Report people on trails… get real. When you repot a garbage toxic encampment dump, the city ignores you and does nothing.
The city is scared to face the constituents they serve. They removed commenting on all social media. They refuse the Mayor’s attempts to convene a town hall. You email them and they rarely respond.
CAO is making $300K a year to have emails from the Mayor vetted through a third party… so fragile. For that salary, you can feather and tar me every day and I’ll show up to work the next morning with a smile.
Pass me the ruby slippers so I can click my heels together and be transported back to a world where things make sense.
LikeLike
A good move. I often see folks lighting up in city parks. Mac Island is famous for it. The city should also encourage people to clean up the weeds in their back alleys and boulevards. The alleys off of Schubert Dr.and frontage along Fortune Dr. are prime examples. When those weeds dry up they’re a perfect place for fires to start. One discarded cigarette and a whole neighborhood could go up in flames.
LikeLike