Cranbrook city council is standing up for Gray Creek Pass, the backcountry road that links St. Mary Lake with Crawford Bay.
On Monday, September 10, council passed a resolution to support the efforts of the Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce to have the road repaired.
A mudslide in the spring has made the road impassable and the B.C. Forests Service did not have the funding to undertake repairs this season.
But Councillor Gerry Warner said he noticed the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has done repairs on other East Kootenay back country roads this season, including Meachen Creek Road and Jumbo Pass.
“So I am really puzzled, when they have spent this much money on seemingly less important connections, why aren’t they keeping the Gray Creek Pass road open?” said Warner during the meeting.
“I know a whole lot of people who use this (road) between the East and West Kootenays and it definitely is a vital road. I think it would behove us to support the chamber of commerce there in getting it open because a lot of people use it,” added Councillor Diana J. Scott.