By David F. Rooney
MLA Norm Macdonald had nothing but praise Sunday for the provincial government’s handling of the Boulder Mountain avalanche.
“I really have three things to say,” he said shortly after arriving here Sunday afternoon. “First, I am deeply sympathetic towards the families and loved ones of the individuals who were killed and seriously injured. Secondly, the community of Revelstoke and those of its members who responded need to be commended.
“I was talking to the solicitor general (Kash Heed) just a few minutes ago and he noted that the community was extremely well prepared and that his ministry was putting all of the necessary resources at its disposal. And the last thing I’d like to say is that from a provincial point of view, the solicitor general acted swiftly and responsibly. It’s what you expect, but it is nonetheless commendable.”
And Revelstoke did react appropriately to the avalanche and its aftermath. RCMP officers and SAR personnel were on the scene within a couple of hours of the avalanche, the city had initiated its emergency preparedness plans, opening a media centre and an emergency social services room at the Community Centre by 7 pm on Saturday evening, just four hours after the avalanche.
Searchers were at the scene until well into the evening and returned Sunday morning in what RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk called “a rescue-recovery operation.”
