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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.