One of B.C.'s most esteemed heritage sites is set to receive a fix fit for its thrones.
The B.C. government is funding $247,000 worth of "urgent" sewer upgrades for the Barkerville Heritage Trust, the ministry of tourism announced Monday.
"We think Barkerville is absolutely key to the tourism economy of the central interior," said
Kevin Krueger, minister of tourism, at Northern B.C. Tourism Association's annual general meeting in Prince George. "It's very significant for Chinese tourists, who, as you know, have been coming here in droves with the Approved Destination Status.
"The infrastructure there needs work, the water system needs protection and the sewage system has been in danger of failing. So this is urgent work that's going to be done but we're planning to do a lot more than that."
Officials with the heritage trust said too much rain or a rapid snow melt could have overwhelmed Barkerville's aging sewer and water system and would have had "disastrous consequences for the environment and the operation of the site."
The system was built in the early 1980s.
The news comes as Krueger presses forward with the hope of turning Barkerville into a United Nations Educational, Science, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site.
He said he recently received a commitment from federal heritage minister James Moore that Ottawa would promote Barkerville's UNESCO case.
The largest historic site in western North America, according to the tourism ministry, Barkerville is one of the key remaining symbols of western Canada's gold rush era.
