CURRENT AND FUTURE SNOW AVALANCHE THREATS AND MITIGATION MEASURES IN CANADA Prepared for: Public Safety Canada Prepared by: Cam Campbell, M.Sc.1 Laura Bakermans, M.Sc., P.Eng.2 Bruce Jamieson, Ph.D., P.Eng.3 Chris Stethem4 Date: 2 September 2007 1 Canadian Avalanche Centre, Box 2759, Revelstoke, B.C., Canada, V0E 2S0. Phone: (250) 837-2748. Fax: (250) 837-4624. E-mail:
[email protected] 2 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW. Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4, Canada. E-mail:
[email protected] 3 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW. Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4, Canada. Phone: (403) 220-7479. Fax: (403) 282-7026. E-mail:
[email protected] 4 Chris Stethem and Associates Ltd., 120 McNeill, Canmore, AB, Canada, T1W 2R8. Phone: (403) 678-2477. Fax: (403) 678-346. E-mail:
[email protected] Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of the Public Safety Canada funded project to inventory current and predict future trends in avalanche threats and mitigation programs in Canada. The project also updated the Natural Resources Canada website and map of fatal avalanche incidents. Avalanches have been responsible for at least 702 fatalities in Canada since the earliest recorded incident in 1782. Sixty-one percent of these fatalities occurred in British Columbia, with 13% in Alberta, 11% in Quebec and 10% in Newfoundland and Labrador. The remainder occurred in Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories. Fifty-three percent of the fatalities were people engaged in recreational activities, while 18% were people in or near buildings, 16% were travelling or working on transportation corridors and 8% were working in resource industries.