‘Awful cleanup’ ahead for poultry farmers in Abbotsford from flooding, says Eby

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby got a first-hand look at the “devastating” flooding in the Fraser Valley from a series of storms that swamped homes and farms and forced hundreds off their land.

Eby said on Tuesday he met with Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens and some of the affected farmers at the Barrowtown Pump Station, the same infrastructure that failed in 2021 causing catastrophic flooding in the valley.

“We weren’t even able to visit the worst-affected farm,” Eby said during an unrelated news conference in Vancouver.

He said a poultry farmer showed him photos of the damage that left “piles of muck and a huge number of drowned birds from their chicken operation.”

“Just an awful, awful cleanup operation ahead of them and a devastating set of impacts that they’ve faced just trying to deliver their business,” said Eby.

The farmer has had three big floods within five years and now he is “seriously asking” himself whether he wants to continue, Eby said.

A string of atmospheric rivers flowed over southern B.C., pushing rivers over their banks, including the Nooksack River in Washington state, which then flowed north and was responsible for much of the damage in the Fraser Valley.

Abbotsford lifted the last of the evacuation orders late Wednesday on 11 remaining properties, but those residents will remain on evacuation alert, while evacuation alerts have been lifted for another 474 properties.

The city said it’s waiving building permit fees for owners whose properties have been affected by flooding to help reduce some financial strain and speed rebuilding.

Several B.C. mayors have criticized the federal government for not following through on its promise to prevent flooding after the 2021 storms, which could have mitigated damages from the latest weather event.

Eby said the latest shut down of Highway 1 shows that the federal government needs to protect B.C.’s infrastructure if it’s going to advance trade.

“I’m glad they are freshly invigorated on this, and we’re going to be looking to them for support, not just on that section but also on other connecting corridors for trade in the province,” said Eby.

The Ministry of Transportation said Wednesday that Highway 3, a major route linking the Lower Mainland to Alberta, is damaged by the storm in 22 locations between Hope and Princeton, and it’s unclear when it will reopen.

“The damage includes five culvert failures resulting in partial road washouts,” the ministry statement said. “These sites require excavation and full culvert replacement.”

The repairs have been further challenged by ongoing harsh weather, with a snowfall warning in effect Wednesday due to a system that also brought heavy rain and high winds across southern B.C.

BC Hydro said in a statement that the wind storm knocked out power for about 120,000 customers, mostly in the Lower Mainland. But by 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, it said nearly 90 per cent of customers affected by the storm had their power restored. It also noted that ongoing challenges mean some customers in the hardest hit areas will likely be without power overnight.

“While crews have made good progress replacing power lines, poles and other electrical equipment damaged by vegetation, they have encountered challenges in some areas that have slowed progress,” BC Hydro said in an earlier release.

Environment Canada said maximum gusts overnight into Wednesday reached 102 km/h at both Point Atkinson in West Vancouver and in Hope, with Vancouver International Airport reporting wind speeds up to 76 km/h.

Without lights, some schools across Metro Vancouver and the rest of B.C. were forced to cancel classes for the day on Wednesday, including all schools in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, as well as some in Langley, Abbotsford, Kootenay-Columbia and Kootenay Lake.

Environment Canada said the wind storm arrived on the heels of a cold front that moved through the area, bringing heavy rain and major flood warnings in the Fraser Valley.

Coquitlam received more than 70 millimetres of rain, Rocky Point Park in Port Moody received almost 64 millimetres and Maple Ridge, Agassiz, Burnaby, and Chilliwack all reported in excess of 50 millimetres.

Environment Canada said the weather woes continued in the Interior, where a number of highways have been affected by heavy snowfall or winter storm conditions, in addition to the stretch of Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2025.