Residents living around Kamloops Lake will have a chance to hear directly from cleanup officials Monday night during a public information meeting in Savona addressing the CPKC train derailment and fuel spill.
The meeting, organized by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, will take place Monday, November 10 at 6 p.m. at the Savona Community Hall (6648 Tingley Street). It will include updates from CPKC, the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Interior Health on the ongoing cleanup and monitoring efforts following the November 1 derailment near Cherry Creek, which spilled tens of thousands of litres of jet fuel into Kamloops Lake.
TNRD Area J Director Mike Grenier said the meeting is intended to give residents a direct line to the agencies managing the response.
“People have been satisfied so far with the explanations of what’s going on, but I think this is a real opportunity to hear from the Ministry of Environment, from CPKC, from Interior Health — from the agencies that are doing the work,” Grenier said. “Rather than me conveying the information, they can hear it directly from these groups.”
Grenier said the session is open to residents from communities across the Kamloops Lake area — including Savona, Tobiano, Cherry Creek, Walhachin, Thompson Rivers Estates, and the Skeetchestn Band — many of whom are looking for clarity about water safety, shoreline cleanup, and next steps in the recovery process.
“They would like updates, they would like to hear directly from the people doing the work, what they’re observing, what they’re seeing,” he said. “This is an opportunity for those folks to ask questions directly to the people doing the work.”
Cleanup efforts have continued over the past week, with crews removing damaged rail cars and working to absorb and collect residual fuel from the lake’s surface and shoreline. Grenier said he’s been encouraged by the transparency and coordination shown by officials so far.
“They are removing the cars, they’re giving us the new numbers as they’re able to ascertain them,” he said. “When they pull the cars and weigh the fuel that’s left over, that tells us what got leaked out — and those numbers have gone down, which is a good thing. I can see a concerted effort by the environmental consultants to clean that up.”
Grenier added that questions about rail safety and long-term monitoring will likely surface at Monday’s meeting.
“Those are some of the questions that residents are keen to ask,” he said. “The whole point is to continue the dialogue and report back what they know so far — and that’s a welcome thing.”
For residents unable to attend in person, the meeting will be recorded and shared afterward on the TNRD YouTube page. The TNRD is reminding attendees that seating at the Savona Community Hall is limited and that parking in the area is tight.
Due to the event, the hall’s regularly scheduled karate class has been cancelled for the evening.
