Last week, some valley residents pointed the finger at Mainroad, the company contracted to clear snowy roads in the East Kootenay, for having not done enough to keep the road to Panorama safe to drive on.
But now, Columbia River Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald is extending that gesture to put the blame on the MoT for the hazardous road that put one man in hospital clinging to life.
“We all knew the snow was coming,” said Macdonald. “Mainroad had a responsibility to respond quickly to the weather conditions, but at present there is no incentive for them to take action.
“In fact, there is a disincentive to act. Maintenance standards are not enforced by the government and companies like Mainroad will receive a performance bonus whether they meet minimum standards or not.”
According to a document published by the MoT, Mainroad received more than $178,000 in bonuses in 2008, the same year that they logged 28 safety violations.
“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the MoT to ensure that highway maintenance companies are forced to fulfill all their contractual obligations,” continued Macdonald, adding, “and if they fail to comply, not only should they not receive their performance bonus, but they should also be penalized for every infraction.”
Mainroad maintained that they acted within the terms of their contract and said they would have had more trucks out had they begun their winter season, which starts in November.
The contract states that “when snowfall is forecast, (the contractor must) proactively increase snow and weather observations, monitoring and review current weather station information” as well as “notify and deploy resources in advance, which are sufficient to respond to anticipated snowfall.”
The RCMP said last week that they believed the road had been cleared within an hour prior to the accident.