With recovery efforts still underway in communities affected by severe flooding and highways damaged by flooding and mudslides, the Province is extending the provincial state of emergency.

Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of the day on Dec. 28, 2021.

The Province is allowing the order limiting non-essential fuel use to expire. This temporary measure limited non-essential vehicles to 30 litres of fuel (gas and diesel) per trip to the gas station and has been in place since Nov. 19, 2021. With the gradual re-opening of the Trans Mountain Pipeline coupled with shipments of fuel by truck and barge arriving in British Columbia, this order can expire at the end of the day on Dec. 14, 2021.

The order restricting non-essential travel on highways 3 and 99 will remain in place. This includes:

• Highway 3: from the junction of Highway 5 and Highway 3 in Hope to the west entrance to Princeton from Highway 3; and
• from the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the BC Hydro Seton Lake Campsite access in Lillooet (vehicle weight must be no more than 14,500 kilograms).

The state of emergency gives the Province the ability to use extraordinary powers to protect people and communities.