Frustration over flooding closing Highway 1 in Abbotsford, with no federal funding in sight – BC

There are more questions and frustrations about the lack of federal infrastructure funding to keep critical routes like Highway 1 open during natural disasters.

The Trans-Canada Highway through the Fraser Valley was shut down for almost 48 hours after an atmospheric river drenched the region last week.

Following the devastating flooding in 2021, the highway was closed for about a week and the provincial and federal governments promised to provide funding to upgrade infrastructure.

The City of Abbotsford rebuilt the dike system and upgraded the Barrowtown Pump Station with money from the provincial government.

However, last year, Abbotsford’s portion of a $1.7 billion request from the federal government was rejected and no reasons were given.

The City of Abbotsford had said its plan included protecting Highway 1 to ensure the supply of food and goods wouldn’t be cut off during a future flood.

This is what happened when the atmospheric river moved across the region last week, cutting off the only viable road corridor to move goods to and from Canada’s busiest port.

The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce says the lack of progress is costing the Canadian economy billions.

Trending Now

• Skate Canada to stop hosting events in Alberta due to sports gender law

• Florida’s governor takes aim at Canadian boycott after Ford comments

“We’re appalled by what appears to be a complete lack of understanding of how critical this region is to the greater whole of Canada, and I would just like to remind people that supply chains are only as strong as their weakest link, and the Fraser Valley cannot be that weak link,” Alex Mitchell with the Chamber of Commerce said.

When asked about the issue, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said he could not speak to the 2021 floods.

“I know that the government of Canada prides itself on being there for communities that are in need, and have suffered loss, and I can assert that we’ll continue to do that,” he said.

Five people and thousands of farm animals were killed in the November 2021 floods, precipitated by a series of unusually powerful atmospheric rivers.

About 15,000 people were forced from their homes and the province’s highways and rail links in and out of the Lower Mainland were washed out.

Last week, hundreds of people were forced from their homes due to the flooding and many chickens were killed in the flooding.

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.