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VICTORIA – International visitors can be confident that it is safe to travel in British Columbia, Solicitor General Rich Coleman said today. Virtually all cities in the province, including Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler, are unaffected by any forest fire activity, said Coleman, who is also minister responsible for public safety. Travellers are advised that the wildfires currently burning at Lonesome Lake and other areas of the province impact less than 0.1 per cent of British Columbia’s land base, and at the present time most fires are burning away from communities and major travel corridors. “At 95 million hectares, British Columbia is larger than Germany, France and Switzerland combined,” said Coleman. “More than 99 per cent of this immense province is wide open to visitors from across the globe.” To ensure international tourists have the facts about B.C. being open to travel, Tourism BC is distributing a letter from John Les, Minister of Small Business and Economic Development and minister responsible for tourism, to Canadian consulates around the world and to key tourism industry representatives. The government is committed to working with the tourism industry in British Columbia and abroad, said Les. “We will get accurate information into the hands of as many travellers as possible, to ensure that all visitors know that B.C. is safe and open for tourism.” Travellers can access up-to-date information on fire-affected areas 24 hours a day by clicking on http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/pScripts/Protect/WildfireNews/index.asp. This site provides information on current fire situations, bans and restrictions, historical data, maps, photos, contacts and links to other agencies involved in wildfire emergencies. Information about road conditions and closures can be found at http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/roadreports/roadreport.asp. -30-
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