By Kamloops Canoe & Kayak Club

Wild Fires Prompt Cancellation of BC Cup #2 at Shumway Lake

Jul 18, 2017 | 9:53 PM

Air quality was not the only reason to cancel one of the largest sprint canoe and kayak events in BC. Event planners for BC Cup #2, BC Championships and the Qualifiers for Canadian Nationals consulted with BC Forestry and the Emergency Operations Center last Wednesday and learned of a few more important reasons. The one that struck home the most was that Kamloops is an active receiving center for Evacuees from the wild fires burning near their communities. Resources were already stretched thin and bringing up to an additional 500 people into Kamloops for the regatta would not help. Cancelling the event made sense in that it would free up blocks of rooms reserved for the regatta for evacuee families. This proved to be the right choice as Saturday night Williams Lake was evacuated and thousands more were sent to Kamloops. We would like to thank Canoe Kayak BC and the clubs that were planning to attend for their understanding and assistance. We would also like to thank the BC Forest Service and fire fighting teams for their service to the citizens most affected by the wild fires.