Lack of cell service complicated B.C. bus crash response

MACKENZIE — The provincial legislator for Mackenzie, B.C., says communications problems along Highway 39 that complicated the emergency response to a bus crash on Wednesday is a familiar issue for northern residents.

The crash, which injured 20 people when a shuttle bus chartered by a contractor for a data centre company went off the highway, was in a remote area known for spotty cellphone coverage.

Kiel Giddens, the legislature member for Prince George-Mackenzie, says poor or non-existent cellphone coverage is something northern residents have come to live with but should be improved.

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper with the North District RCMP said Wednesday that the crash happened in an area with no cellphone reception and poor satellite reception.

She said first responders had difficulty with radio communications and information was slow to come from the area during the initial emergency response.

The province says about 38 per cent of British Columbia’s highways lack cell service, and limited access to reliable power is a key barrier to expanding cellular coverage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.

— With files from CKPG