Premier John Horgan speaks to reporters at a news conference in Victoria, Dec. 2, 2020.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Province of B.C.
July 15, 2021 - 6:30 PM
One of B.C.'s hardest hit regions is calling on the provincial government to declare a provincial state of emergency in response to one of the worst fire seasons on record.
Directors of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District voted unanimously today to ask the provincial government to take the next step, according to a release.
It didn't explain how the provincial state of emergency would assist. The regional district has already declared six states of local emergency, and has 15 active evacuation orders and 19 active evacuation alerts in place.
Declaring a state of emergency allows authorities to exercise special powers, like spending money, suspending liberties and marshaling resources.
The motion comes as 308 active wildfires are burning in the province, and 13% of the regional district are under an evacuation order (876 properties) or alert (2,359 properties).
The province of B.C. was under a state of emergency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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