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Active Landslide Severs Old Fort’s Only Road, Triggers Evacuations in Northeast B.C.

The repeat failure underscores long-standing concern about safe access to the community.

In 2018, a landslide on Old Fort Road affected resident’s access to the community of Old Fort, 5kms south of the City of Fort St. John. Ministry of Transport, screengrab
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Overview

  • A 400-metre-wide slope failure near Old Fort, B.C. destroyed a section of Old Fort Road and shifted it about 62 metres, isolating the roughly 150-person community.
  • Officials report the ground is still moving and highly unpredictable, with rates measured at about 18–24 centimetres an hour in one update and up to 10 millimetres a minute in the latest notice.
  • The Peace River Regional District closed the only road and declared a local state of emergency, ordering residents east of Old Fort Road to leave except the home at 7711 Old Fort Road.
  • Provincial geotechnical teams are on site tracking movement and say the slope remains unstable, so road access cannot be restored until the slide stops.
  • This is the third major slide since 2018 in the area near Fort St. John, prompting resident worry about property and safety and renewed calls from the local MLA for stronger slope protection or another way in.