Lower Nicola neighbourhood wants action from the province on disputed walking path

LOWER NICOLA, B.C. — Just off Marshall Road in Lower Nicola, there’s a walking path that used to be part of the Nicola, Kamloops & Similkameen Railway. For the past month, a bridge across Guichon Creek along that path has been the focus of a dispute between residents of the area.

“October the 5th, I watched somebody come along and pile these blocks — there were two blocks on this end of the bridge, two blocks on the other side of the bridge and they got stacked up,” resident Lori Desy describes. “There was, all of a sudden, boom, no walking access to the bridge.”

The wall was formidable and completely blocked access to the bridge. Residents who frequented the path contacted the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) to see if the ministry would come in and clear the blocks.

“We have been doing emails, and reporting and taking pictures and sending texts to get somebody from the ministry out here to remove the blocks for us,” Desy says.

“It was really frustrating. No one seemed to want to do anything about it,” Wendy Hosler explains. “Everybody said, ‘Yeah, we’ve got a big file on them,’ but no one wanted to do anything. So hence, you guys.”

Hosler, who owns the road people use to access the path, teamed up with Desy to spearhead the effort to clear the blocks. After inviting the media and spreading the word to other concerned neighbours, the blocks came down Sunday evening (Nov. 7).

“That’s all we wanted, was the blocks to be removed so we could go back to walking,” Desy says. “The person who put them up, I witnessed. I saw him put them up. The person who took them down, I did not see, so…”

CFJC News reached out to the person who is alleged to have put the blocks up. While he didn’t want to be interviewed or identified, he did discuss his reasons for allegedly blockading the bridge.

He says the province hasn’t done promised remediation work in the area after several significant flood events. He also cited concerns about off-road vehicles using the path and says his property has been vandalized and items stolen from his shop.

“I think (FLNRO) should listen to him,” Hosler says. “There have been promises made that have never been owned up to. He’s got his reasons for doing what he does. Listen to him. Listen to the people. I mean, we’re paying the wages for them. Aren’t we?”

While the outcome is positive for the residents of this Lower Nicola neighbourhood, they’d like to see the blocks moved permanently, or secured so that the bridge can’t be blocked again.