'We are stranded here': Squamish seniors wait 3 years for bridge replacement

When Roland Dittus needs groceries, he first has to walk two kilometres, trespassing across a working railway bridge, to reach his car. He follows the same path on the way home — the only difference is that he'll be carrying bags of supplies.

Until a few years ago, Dittus and his neighbours in a tiny subdivision north of Squamish were able to drive across a small bridge that connected them to the rest of the world. But it was demolished by the province in early 2015, and nothing has been done to replace it.

"We can basically do nothing. We are stranded here," said Dittus. "We are all somewhat older. My son, he left. His house is sitting empty, and he cannot rent it out because of the access."

Dittus is 66 years old and has lived in his home for 29 years. The other four people who still live in the subdivision are all in their 60s or late 50s, he said. There's no way for emergency vehicles to reach them, though the province says Squamish Search and Rescue is prepared to help if needed.

But Dittus is also worried about the financial impact on the owners of the handful of other properties in the neighbourhood.

"It's not just because we are seniors. All the other people can do nothing with their property," he said.

The now-dismantled bridge over the Cheekye River had been in place for decades, but it was originally built without authorization, according to the province.

By 2013, it had been condemned as unsafe after several washouts, and the residents were ordered to remove it. They refused.

"Everybody came in this way. Forestry used the bridge, BC Hydro used the bridge," Dittus said. "Everybody used it. The building inspector came in this way."

But in 2014, the river channel split and began flowing on either side of the bridge. Workers from the Forests Ministry seized it under the Land Act in 2015, then had it dismantled.

Since then, the owners of Sunwolf resort on the other side of the river have allowed Dittus and his neighbours to leave their vehicles in their parking lot. The only connection between the two pieces of land is over a working CN railway bridge, plastered with warnings that trespassers will be prosecuted.

In the meantime, the lack of access has become something of a political hot potato.

The NDP raised the issue in question period last year, while they were still in opposition. Claire Trevena, now transportation minister, asked why the Liberal government was "leaving these seniors without any access to their home?"

Now that the government has changed, the tables have turned, and it was NDP Forests Minister Doug Donaldson who was grilled about the missing bridge by Liberal MLA Jordan Sturdy earlier this year.

Donaldson promised to draw up a briefing paper on the issue, saying "it's not an ideal situation."

Dittus is not impressed.

"They are just about the same," he said of the two governments. "They've just brushed us off."

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says the land is within the jurisdiction of District of Squamish, which has ultimate responsibility for all public roads.

"Although there continues to be engineering and geologic concerns with the lands, the ministry looks forward to working with the property owners and the district if they apply for permission to build a bridge over the river that would meet regulatory requirements," ministry spokesperson Jeremy Uppenborn wrote in an email.

In a written statement, the District of Squamish described the situation as complex, and said it "involves multiple jurisdictions and a range of considerations." District officials said they weren't able to provide any further information for legal reasons.