General Delivery, Bridge Lake, B.C. V0K 1E0

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Community Information

The community of Lac des Roches has strengthened since the area became the target for a large land development project followed by a water storage proposal. Neighbors became friends and friends became partners in the pursuit of preservation of this pristine area. This page is reserved for community information that may not relate directly to the efforts of Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake. We invite readers to contribute their ideas to this page.

Community Safety and Security

Due to the Regional boundary dissecting Lac des Roches, there have been instances of confusion for the dispatch of emergency services. Typically, residents of the east end of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake, which are in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD), will be serviced from Clearwater. The residents of the central and west end of Lac des Roches and Little Lac des Roches, which are in the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) will be serviced out of 100 Mile House.

Security
Call 911 for a security emergency. Many residents of Lac des Roches are members of Rural Crime Watch and Citizens on Patrol (COPS) and may be involved in the telephone network of reporting suspicious persons or activities. In addition to the formal patrols by COPS and the RCMP, we require the diligence of neighbours watching out for neighbours as we live so far away from emergency services.

Ambulance
Call 911 for a medical emergency. Although it can take up to 50 minutes for an ambulance to travel to Lac des Roches, several members of the Interlake Volunteer Fire Department, who are fully trained as First Responders, live nearby and may be able to respond immediately until the ambulance and paramedics arrive.

Residential Fire
Call 911 for a fire emergency. Lac des Roches is services by the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department, which keeps a fire truck and emergency response equipment at the community of Bridge Lake. Many of the trained volunteer firefighters live at Lac des Roches and will respond to the call before the fire truck. Funding for the fire department is currently by voluntary annual residential fire fees, as it does not receive Regional funding.

Forest Fire
To report a forest fire, call 1-800-663-5555. In addition to the information you are able to give about the size, type and approximate location of the fire, we have learned that land coordinates assist the spotter planes that are dispatched from elsewhere in the province. As a guideline, Eagle Island in the middle of Lac des Roches is at 51° 28’ N, 120° 34’ W.

Power Outage
Since Lac des Roches is at the “end of the line” and our electricity demands are minimal, a power outage isolated to our area may not be detected by B.C. Hydro. Residents should report all power outages as per the criteria and instructions of B.C. Hydro at 1-888-769-3766. Extensive power outages that last more than 2 days can affect the phone service on the Bridge Lake Exchange (593) as the switch has limited battery backup in the event of a power outage. Although cellular phone coverage in our area is spotty, most residents claim to get a signal at certain areas of the rest stop and near the end of Cottage Country Estates road, above the rest stop.

Community Newsletter

Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake began publishing a complimentary community newsletter in 2006, to inform residents and lake users of issues affecting the area. The community newsletter has been expanded to provide information as well as entertainment for the readers. For safety and security reasons, after delivery of the newsletter in May 2008, printed copies will no longer be distributed to area residences. They will continue to be posted on this website. Residents wishing a personal copy will have to provide an email or Canada Post mailing address. Association members will continue to receive a copy of the newsletter, along with the member’s quarterly updates.

May 2008 Resident’s Newsletter (pdf)
May 2007 Resident’s Newsletter (pdf)
June 2006 Resident’s Newsletter (pdf)

Community Column – 100 Mile House Free Press

With so much focus on the area, the local paper invited a local resident to contribute ongoing activities to the paper’s Community section. Sharron Woloshyn writes a monthly column covering Lac des Roches and they are reprinted here with the permission of the Publisher of 100 Mile House Free Press.

Published Articles
Note: The articles below are in PDF format.

November 12, 2008
October 29, 2008
October 15, 2008
October 1, 2008
September 17, 2008
September 3, 2008
August 27, 2008
August 13, 2008
July 17, 2008
June 18, 2008
May 21. 2008
April 30, 2008
March 26, 2008
March 5, 2008
January 30, 2008
January 2, 2008
December 19, 2007
December 5, 2007
November 7, 2007
October 3, 2007
September 12, 2007
August 15, 2007
July 18, 2007
June 20, 2007