Lytton (image credit - CFJC Today)
LYTTON REBUILD

Fraser-Nicola MLA excited to see auditor general report into Lytton rebuild

May 2, 2024 | 5:30 PM

LYTTON, B.C. — Michael Pickup, B.C.’s auditor general, has announced a probe into the ongoing efforts to rebuild the community of Lytton.

The investigation will focus on the government’s role in the days since a June 2021 wildfire ravaged the village. The move to initiate the investigation came with Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart sent a formal request to the office after two failed votes on the legislature floor.

“We have a lot to learn about what has happened in Lytton,” Tegart told CFJC News. “It is unbelievable the amount of money that has been spent and the fact that people are still not home. And if this is process in this government, then we need to change process.”

The formal investigation is not expected to be complete until next year and, with homes finally being rebuilt in Lytton, it’s unlikely the report will help the village. Still, Tegart hopes the investigation will help government better understand the challenges that existed in Lytton and how to better deal with future disasters.

“Why Lytton has been so held up by so many processes that didn’t seem to have clarity and didn’t seem to have a set process and timelines on what needed to be done,” said Tegart. “I think one of the key things we will find in the Lytton situation, it was hard to find out who was in charge and who was the decision maker. Every time you went to government, it was, ‘That’s not my department, you have to talk to somebody else.’ And it shows in the lack progress in the community.”