Lytton residents rally in the Village, Oct 18/23 (Image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

LYTTON REBUILD DELAYS

‘This is our home’; Lytton residents rally against prolonged delays in the village’s rebuild

Oct 18, 2023 | 4:38 PM

LYTTON, B.C. — Chants of “Our town” rang out throughout the charred husk of Lytton on Wednesday (Oct. 18) afternoon as fed-up residents marched through the still-not-rebuilt village, now 840 days since a wildfire devastated the community.

“I was a resident who lost my home, as well. We talked about it for two years now and finally, a few weeks ago, at the community meeting when one more problem came up — or potential problem came up — a bunch of residents said, ‘Enough,'” said Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor.

O’Connor’s property was just recently back-filled to prepare for rebuilding, but concerns remains for herself and the community about new costs related to archeological monitoring. One resident received a quote of $22,000 for the monitoring of their work over a two-week span.

“So many just said, ‘What if that’s my property? I can’t afford it. Is it going to be more? Is it going to be less?’ So much more to cause anxiety for the people that have been through so much here over two years,” added O’Connor.

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Mia Chang helped organize the rally. While she herself did not lose her home in the fire, she did lose her community.

“There is no sign that this is going to happen anytime soon because of the delays that have happened. There needs to be transparency and there needs to be a move with the government and all the contractors that are working to bring the town back,” said Chang.

Members of the local Lytton First Nation were also on hand, with Ernie Michell singing a prayer song that originated in the Stein Valley nearby.

“I feel for our people who can’t come back, for those who aren’t coming back and those who died. Their dream was to come back to this place that they called home, for this is our home,” said Michell.

Tracy Wimbush grew up in Lytton, a village that has been devastated and rebuilt before, following numerous fires over the past century. She simply cannot comprehend the continuous delays facing the community today.

“It’s traumatizing, and the governments need to understand that they have to stop hurting the people of the village. And giving us back our houses and our infrastructure,” said Wimbush.

Chang was able to relay the feeling of many at the afternoon rally — that they have been forgotten.

“To actually be accountable for what they said, the federal government and provincial government said they were going to back this town and we were going to come back and they were going to support us. And I feel like they aren’t there for us anymore.”

Two-and-a-half years, 120 weeks or 840 days. Any way to choose to say it, for Mayor O’Connor and all the residents, it’s simply just too long.

“There are also people that this is the only home they know, this is where they want to be,” said O’Connor.