Calls for changes to Hwy. 5 after CN Rail worker killed in head-on collision

Juver Balmores was a husband and father of three young children who worked for CN Rail.

Early Tuesday morning, the 36-year-old died in a head-on crash between his CN Rail truck and a semi on Highway 5 between Kamloops and Clearwater, an accident that also claimed the life of a passenger in the semi.

The loss of Balmores has been devastating for his CN Rail colleagues in Kamloops.

“By all accounts, he was a very warm, friendly person. Very ambitious, a go-getter. His managers liked him,” said Cole Kramer, the president of United Steel Workers Local 2004, which represents CN Rail workers. “We like to think of ourselves as a family within the union, so you get to know these people day in, day out. And this has hit everybody really, really hard. It’s just a tragic loss.”

Fatalities on the 50-kilometre stretch of Highway 5 between Kamloops and Clearwater are shockingly common. Fifteen people died in crashes there in 2023.

“Our members, they work on the road, and that is the highway they have to travel fairly frequently throughout the year. By all accounts, they don’t enjoy it,” said Kramer.

Highway 5 passes through the town of Barriere, and Mayor Ward Stamer is saddened but not surprised by the latest double fatality.

“All the leaders in the North Thompson Valley are concerned once the traffic counts start coming up with summer vacation and those kinds of things, we are not sure where we will be at with that type of carnage,” Stamer said.

In March, the province announced some safety improvements are coming for Highway 5, including a commercial vehicle inspection pull out, and a speed data collection system. But local leaders want more.

“It needs to be wider, it has to be straighter. That costs money, and they haven’t spend it,” said Stamer.

On Balmores’ death, Kramer added: “It’s an unfortunate incident that will bring awareness to this stretch of highway hopefully, and hopefully there are some changes being made.”

Stamer worries without more investment from the province, 2024 will be another tragic year for Highway 5.

“It could be right around the corner something like this happens again,” Stamer said. “ I think we need some concrete steps that are going to be able to make this highway a whole lot safer, and we are not there yet.”