VICTORIA- Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton has issued the following statement in recognition of Avalanche Awareness Days (Jan. 17-18, 2015):

“With so many British Columbians enjoying the beautiful outdoors and wilderness our province offers, it’s important to keep safety in mind before venturing out. Safe backcountry travel requires training and experience. You can control the risk by choosing where, when and how you travel.

“With Avalanche Canada’s recently announced Mountain Information Network, British Columbians can now make informed decisions by submitting, sharing and reading information from the field about weather, snowpack and avalanche conditions.

“This tool gives backcountry travellers timely information at their fingertips and better equips them to make prudent and informed decisions to be safe.

“As always, when heading into the backcountry, we encourage you to travel in groups, pack appropriate safety gear and tell your friends and family where you are going and when you expect to be back. Also remember to always check the avalanche forecast in your region at www.avalanche.ca.”

Learn more:

For backcountry essentials and avalanche awareness information: www.adventuresmart.ca/snow/avalanche.htm

For Parks Canada avalanche warnings: http://avalanche.pc.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx?d=TODAY

For weather forecasts: http://weather.gc.ca/canada_e.html

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 213-3602