Jackie Tegart views damage in Cache Creek with Village staff and fellow MLAs (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

CACHE CREEK FLOOD 2023

‘Why aren’t we doing preventive work?’: MLA Tegart begins tour of devastated communities in Cache Creek

Jun 20, 2023 | 4:05 PM

CACHE CREEK B.C. — A little over a month and a half since flood waters devastated the village of Cache Creek, recovery work is still underway in the village. Rising waters in both the creek and Bonaparte River led to a series of evacuations throughout the community in early May, as flooding threatened homes, businesses and infrastructure.

Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart was joined by a strong cohort of her BC United caucus colleagues in Cache Creek Tuesday (June 20) morning to learn about the struggles facing the village as residents begin the process of rebuilding.

After hearing about the damage, the devastation was seen first-hand. Where a road once existed is now nothing but a channel for the creek to run through. The walking tour also saw damage to the Trans Canada Highway through town.

“Why aren’t we doing preventive work?” asked Tegart. “Just talking to the representatives from the Village of Cache Creek today shows us how difficult it is to get the funding that’s needed to ensure that these events are mitigated as much as possible.”

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For village staff, like CAO Damian Couture, getting the opportunity to address so many MLAs at once, in person, was a perfect scenario to allow him to relay some of the big uphill challenges ahead for the community.

“There is a lot to be said about how the system is currently set up to build back what was there before, comparatively to building it back better, to be able to really handle these events. And I don’t think that Cache Creek is alone in that struggle, because far too often we’ve seen that the same thing doesn’t work,” said Couture.

After seeing the community flood multiple times over her two terms in office, Councillor Sue Peters is hoping the village won’t be forgotten among a long list of natural disasters around the province. The village is asking for permanent solutions that could cost upwards of $10 million.

“Advocacy is really important and one of my soapboxes is rural BC and how we kind of get left behind in funding. We don’t have the capabilities of doing a lot of things. Having this kind of support come out to see us is heartwarming and amazing. And I’m very hopeful for results to come from it,” added Sue Peters, village councillor and emergency operations centre logistics chief.

After visiting Cache Creek, Tegart was scheduled to visit a number of other communities in the riding that have been affected by natural disasters in the past few years.

“It’s important that we take time to go down to Lytton and talk to the village council there. We are going to drive Highway 8. It’s amazing the work that has been done, but the ranchers along Highway 8 still are suffering from wildfire, from flood and from landslides, and their story is a sad story,” said Tegart, who is also stopping in Merritt on Wednesday.

While not in government, Tegart hopes her BC United caucus can use its tour to help better advocate for rural British Columbia.