B.C. legislator says residents didn’t get phone alerts about landslide evacuation

FORT ST. JOHN — A legislator for an area of northeastern British Columbia hit by a landslide and evacuation order says many residents who live close to the site never received emergency notifications from the provincial government.

The landslide on Old Fort Road, about five kilometres south of Fort St. John, triggered the evacuation order earlier this week and has cut off road access in and out of the community of Old Fort.

Jordan Kealy, independent MLA for Peace River North, says he’s hearing from lots of Old Fort residents who never got any cellphone notifications.

He says that’s “completely wrong,” and he’s notified the provincial government about the situation.

An update from the Peace River Regional District says sections of Old Fort Road have been destroyed by the active landslide, and there’s “no safe access to or from the community.”

Residents who were not able to leave after an evacuation order was issued late Monday have been asked to shelter in a safe place and conserve essential supplies, as “emergency services and essential resources are unable to reach Old Fort” at this time.

Kealy says about 70 people have been evacuated, while others have chosen to stay in the area, where a landslide in 2018 also forced an evacuation.

“I’m so sorry that you’re having to go through this all over again,” Kealy says in a video statement posted on his Facebook channel. “This year we got a lot of moisture, a lot of snow, and now it’s all melting. We’re seeing water melting all over the place in our region.”

Kealy said he met with Transport Minister Mike Farnworth and learned that government officials are monitoring the slide, and once it becomes manageable, they will evaluate the situation.

The regional district says the site of the slide is “extremely unstable and still actively moving.”

B.C.’s Transportation Ministry says staff are monitoring the slide.

“The ministry will work to re-establish access to the community as soon as it is safe,” it said in a statement Wednesday.

It says emergency support services are available for evacuees, and the province is working with the regional district and other partners to ensure they have the information and resources they need to respond effectively.

The district’s emergency operations centre has said that their experience from the previous slide indicates it may take weeks for the terrain beneath the access road to stabilize, and the situation is “rapidly evolving.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.

The Canadian Press