A resident is urging the District of Squamish to open Brennan Park Recreation Centre as an emergency shelter for travellers stranded during accidents on the Sea to Sky Highway.
In a recent letter to the council, Ken Tanner urged the council to pass a resolution requiring Brennan Park management to open its doors during overnight highway closures. He said Brennan Park could provide warmth and mats for emergency sleeping arrangements.
Several people were stranded on the highway after the mudslide in December and recently when an accident shut down the highway for hours. Tanner noted Squamish residents’ swift and compassionate response, who took to social media to offer food, accommodation, and assistance to those in need. He and his wife also hosted two families who would have had to spend the night in a parking lot.
While he praised the efforts of individual community members, Tanner expressed disappointment in the District’s lack of response. “Brennan Park could have opened to bring people in from the cold,” he said. “It has warm space, washrooms, and, while not luxurious, would be safer than spending a freezing night in a parking lot.”
“I think a resolution by council requiring the management of Brennan Park to respond to overnight road closures by opening to welcome stranded travellers in similar circumstances would rectify this oversight in future,” he wrote.
Pennie McNutt says
I was surprised they hadn’t done this. Makes sense to me. 🤷🏻♀️
Elle says
Even the municipality of whistler offered a hotel banquet room for those willing to travel up. Shame on the DOS. Also, listening to CBC interview asking if squamish is prepared for an emergency in light of the earthquake last Friday and the response was yes…really? We can’t house people stuck on the hwy but we are prepared for a major environmental disaster….I have very little faith.
Nyrie says
Failure on behalf of the DOS. Add another one to the list. They can and must do better. And we deserve better.