SLRD and Líl̓wat Nation call for provincial funding to address Place Glacier hazard

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) and Líl̓wat Nation are calling on the Province of British Columbia to fund response works to address the Place Glacier outburst flood hazard, following the completion of a new engineering report outlining potential mitigation options.

“We know this hazard will continue unless action is taken,” said SLRD Board Chair Jen Ford. “The SLRD does not have the means to address this on our own. We are asking the Province to support a solution with the funding and resources required to reduce this risk.”

The Place Glacier Conceptual Design Options Summary is available on the SLRD website, along with the 2025 Place Glacier Hazard Assessment Report. Both reports have been shared with provincial government ministries, along with a request from the SLRD for provincial leadership and funding to implement a solution.

The Place Glacier outburst flood hazard originates on provincially managed land above the Gates Lake community in Electoral Area C of the SLRD, placing the communities of Poole Creek and Gates Lake at risk.

In 2024 and 2025, an ice-marginal lake on Place Glacier rapidly drained, causing debris floods through residential properties. These lake outbursts from Place Glacier are expected to recur annually until the glacier recedes, posing an ongoing hazard to the communities at valley bottom.

This situation constitutes an ongoing emergency event that represents imminent risk to public safety and fish habitat. The SLRD has consulted with partners at Líl̓wat Nation who expressed their desire to see the hazards associated with Place Glacier addressed.

“Líl̓wat Nation looks forward to the resolution of the Place Glacier hazards to ensure the safety of nearby homes and to protect the Birkenhead River salmon populations, which are vital to our food, social, and ceremonial needs. The salmon rely on the cool temperatures and stable flows that Place Creek and Poole Creek provide to the Birkenhead River,” said Maxine Bruce, Líl̓wat Nation Territorial Stewardship Manager.

“While the SLRD does not currently have the resources or mandate to undertake this work, the ongoing hazard and risk to public and ecological safety is of great concern to us, to community members, and to our partners,” said Ford. “We are committed to continuing to advocate to the Province for an appropriate resolution. We are grateful to the Province for their support in facilitating the work that has been done to date. Now, we are looking to the Province for continued leadership and funding commitment to ensure the safety of this community.” 

Following the 2024 glacial lake outburst, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) provided emergency response funds to restore water channels back to their normal alignment and drain flood waters. During the 2025 outburst, these water channels were again damaged and remain vulnerable to glacial outburst and precipitation-driven flood events. 

In both 2024 and 2025, properties were placed on Evacuation Alert due to the increased potential for precipitation-driven flooding to impact residential structures due to these damaged water channels.

In 2025, EMCR funded the Place Glacier Hazard Assessment Report to better understand the hazard’s long-term public safety risks. This report found that glacial lake outbursts are expected to recur annually and may be equivalent in magnitude to 1 in 200-year return period floods. Without intervention, they will continue to pose an ongoing risk to public safety, especially when outburst flooding is followed by heavy precipitation.

The Place Glacier Conceptual Design Options Summary outlines options to alleviate this hazard. Options range from installing a siphon, installing pumps, drilling conduit through bedrock, constructing a dam, or using explosives to fracture open a conduit through the glacier. Each option was evaluated for its feasibility, cost, construction considerations, operation and maintenance, and environmental impact.

The SLRD Board of Directors has written a letter to the Province calling for funding to address this risk. This letter follows a June 2025 letter from the SLRD to the Ministry of EMCR and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, calling upon the Province of British Columbia to take immediate action in response to the outburst flood hazard at Place Glacier.

Next steps will depend on the Province’s response to the funding request. Following confirmation of that response, the SLRD will host a hybrid (virtual and in-person) Town Hall to update the community.

For additional information, including the Place Glacier Conceptual Design Options Summary and the Place Glacier Hazard Assessment Report, letters from the SLRD Board, community updates, and a recording of the November, 2025 Town Hall, please visit the Place Glacier Outburst Flood Hazard project page on the SLRD website.

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Located in southwestern BC, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is a local government federation consisting of four member municipalities (the District of Lillooet, the District of Squamish, the Village of Pemberton and the Resort Municipality of Whistler) and four unincorporated, rural electoral areas (A, B, C, and D). Headquartered in Pemberton, which is the approximate geographic centre of the region, the SLRD delivers a wide range of local, regional and sub-regional services to approximately 50,496 residents (2021 Census as certified by the Minister of Municipal Affairs).

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is found within the traditional territories of several First Nations, including the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), St'át'imc and Líl̓wat. Small parts of the SLRD also overlap with the traditional territories of the Stó:lō, Tsleil-Waututh, Nlaka'pamux, Tsilhqot'in, and Secwepemc Nations. While the SLRD does not provide direct services to the residents of the First Nations communities located within the region, the organization is committed to enhancing relations with the Indigenous communities and First Nations within whose territories the SLRD operates.