Prioritizing emergency egress for Sooke neighbourhoods

Recent evacuations across British Columbia are a sobering reminder that every community needs to be ready before an emergency happens.

Communities should not have to depend on a single way in or out when wildfire, flooding, an earthquake, or another emergency threatens.

For residents of Sunriver and the Sooke River neighbourhoods, safe and reliable evacuation routes are especially important. Sooke Together will make investigating and advancing additional emergency egress routes for these neighbourhoods a priority.

The Sooke River Pedestrian Crossing Plan, developed in 2020, along with the Parks and Trails Master Plan and Transportation Master Plan, identifies future east-west connections toward Pascoe Road and Sooke River Road. But some of that work was envisioned over a 20-year timeframe.

Source: District of Sooke Transportation Master Plan (2020)

We think that timeline needs another look.

Climate change and the increasing risk of wildfire and other extreme events have made emergency preparedness more urgent. We need to look at what can be accelerated - confirming viable routes, determining what's needed for emergency access, finding funding, and developing a practical plan to get the work done sooner.

Preparedness means planning and investing before we need it. The routes are already in our plans. Now let's see how we can move them forward faster, because Keeping It Sooke means keeping our community safe.