British ColumbiaThree horses are dead after being struck by a vehicle on Highway 99 in Pemberton, B.C., and residents living nearby are calling for more safety measures to help avoid similar collisions in future.Renewed calls for safety measures, after 3 horses killed during early morning crash Alanna Kelly · CBC News · Posted: Oct 01, 2025 3:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoNew signs were added to a stretch of Highway 99 in Pemberton at the end of 2024 to alert drivers about roaming horses that could be on the roadway. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)Three horses are dead after being struck by a vehicle on Highway 99 in Pemberton, B.C., and residents living nearby are calling for more safety measures to help prevent similar collisions in the community, about 120 kilometres north of Vancouver.Police said they responded to a collision on the highway before Pemberton Farm Road East at 4:45 a.m. PT on Sept. 20.Cpl. Katrina Boehmer with Sea to Sky RCMP said police received a number of calls about the collision with the horses, which are part of a herd that roams freely in the area.”I believe three horses died as a result of the collision,” said Boehmer. Police later confirmed that all three animals were put down at or near the scene due to their injuries.Collisions between the free-roaming horses and vehicles have been a long-standing hazard in the area. In 2024, the Ministry of Transportation replaced older highway signs with larger and clearer signs, warning drivers about the horses.The area of the recent collision involves winding corners, and horses from the herd often use the road or graze near it during the spring and fall.”I do know that there have been calls for service relating to horses on the highway and other collisions involving these horses,” Boehmer said.Police confirmed the free-roaming horses are privately owned, but they did not name the owner, citing privacy concerns.WATCH | Video captures near-miss on Sea-to-Sky Highway: ‘Scary’ near-miss collisions on Highway 99 after newly painted linesThere have been a series of near misses on B.C.’s Sea-to-Sky Highway between Lion’s Bay and Squamish. As Alanna Kelly reports, three people consider themselves lucky to have driven away unscathed.Jean Hamilton, who was visiting family in the area, found the third horse dead on a road near the location of the collision.”It’s tragic. It’s very sad. The horse was crumpled, [its] legs were in an odd position. It was just very difficult,” she said.She wishes something could be done to fix the issue.”They go into the mountains in the summer, come back in the fall,” said Hamilton, who used to live in Pemberton. “I just think it’s very unfortunate that this happens.”A driver collided with a herd of horses and killed three of them on Sept. 20 in Pemberton, B.C., on Highway 99. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman said the horses are a huge concern for the community.”We fear for residents on the road. I am really upset by it,” he said. “It’s a really tough situation. It’s very emotional in our community and it’s … quite complex because it crosses so many jurisdictions.”Richman said many people have asked the Village of Pemberton to address the issue, but he said the horses are coming from Lil’wat Nation reserve land, and the highway is the province’s jurisdiction.”They’re coming off reserve, travelling through several jurisdictions, so we don’t have the power, the authority, the resources … to be able to do it ourselves,” Richman said.He said the Village of Pemberton is working with Lil’wat Nation, SPCA and the minister of rural communities on the issue, and that he’d like more support from the province.”We want the horses off the road and off people’s private properties,” he said. “It’s a tough situation, it’s complex, there’s history.”Local resident Elkie Webb created an online petition, which has more than 160 signatures, calling for immediate changes to be made to the highway.”I am now calling on community members and leaders to take practical, immediate steps such as the enforcement of clear speed limits and signage, including illuminated warning signs,” Webb said. The Ministry of Transportation said in an email statement that safety is always its top priority.”The ministry is working actively with Lil’wat Nation and the Ministry of Agriculture to see what additional measures may address the issue with the privately owned horses roaming onto the roadway,” it said.CBC News contacted the Lil’wat Nation for comment but has yet to hear back.”We’re very fortunate that nobody’s been seriously hurt,” Richman said. “I’m hopeful that we can see some action on this sooner than later,” he said.ABOUT THE AUTHORAlanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
Deaths of 3 horses in Highway 99 collision highlight challenges of free-roaming herd near Pemberton, B.C.
