Vancouver Island MLA offers support for vehicles damaged by potholes
The MLA for Parksville-Qualicum is offering to provide guidance for motorists who had their tires and vehicles damaged recently by hitting potholes in the Nanoose flats area.
Adam Walker tells CTV News that motorists should contact his constituency office for assistance.
"We’re seeing the tow trucks on the side of the road, we’re hearing from people who have had damage to their vehicle, we’re helping them get the support they need to get compensated where possible," Walker says.
He says his office has been working closely with the Ministry of Transportation and is looking for a permanent fix when the weather will permit it.
"Crews are putting a cold-mix asphalt mix into the holes as they develop to try mitigate the situation," he says. "And the weather, unfortunately and obviously, is working against us in this but the crews are working around the clock to try to deal with the issue."
Dozens of motorists had one, two or even three of their tires damaged when they struck the holes along Highway 19 between Lantzville Road and Northwest Bay Road over several evenings this month.
Many vehicles were effected Tuesday evening and a tow truck driver was injured when his vehicle was sideswiped by a suspected impaired driver that was passing where the tow operator was assisting another motorist.
"As we drive between Parksville and Nanaimo we can see the tow trucks on the side of the road and we can see the crews working around the clock filling these holes as much as possible," said the MLA.
Walker says he understands the importance of the highway to people in the community given that it is the only connection between north and south Vancouver Island.
Even though some signs were posted near the beginning of the potholes, many motorists had been posting their complaints on social media about the lack of steps taken to highlight the potholes.
"It’s always easy for us to look back and second guess what people have done but we’ve seen some really unprecedented weather recently," says Walker. "The crews with Mainroad have been out there dealing with this as quickly as possible."
"The best thing in the area for someone who’s been impacted by the highway and these potholes is to reach out to our office and we will work with them to make sure we connect them with the right resources," he says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.