SOUND OFF: Taking more steps toward recovery in Lytton
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THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING for all British Columbians, but last summer the residents of Lytton experienced a loss almost unimaginable.
As the village moves forward with the process of rebuilding and recovery following that devastating wildfire, the people of Lytton are not alone. Our government has and will continue to take steps to ensure the village and its residents are supported. My colleague Jennifer Rice and I were appointed as recovery liaisons, to strengthen the lines of communication between the village and the province to ensure voices of the residents continue to be heard. We’ve been actively listening and participating in town halls, engaging regularly with Mayor Polderman and working to identify obstacles – and subsequent paths around those obstacles – in order to expedite recovery efforts.
Last week, the province announced more than $8 million in new funding to support village operations and recovery with $6.26 million to manage wildfire response costs like removing debris, assessing the water system and site remediation where needed. It’s critical we help ensure the water and land are safe for people, in order to begin welcoming them home. An additional $2.1 million will help support municipal operations for the next three years, to help make take some of that taxation burden off of local residents who have already lost too much.
This funding builds upon the many steps the province has already taken to support Lytton, like the over $6 million in Emergency Support Services that were provided directly to individuals through the summer and fall to ensure residents had access to emergency housing and meals, funding over a dozen staff positions to help add some extra strength to the recovery team, as well as $1 million provided in December towards economic recovery and operations.
