The provincial government of British Columbia is committing an additional $21 million to help re-establish critical infrastructure and services in the wildfire-ravaged village of Lytton, BC.
A government release said that the new funding will support the restoration of key services such as fire protection in Lytton. The $21 million will also be used to reconstruct important municipal infrastructure like the village office, and it will pay for the assessment required prior to the repair of water and sewer infrastructure. Funds will additionally be used to ensure recovery-related municipal operations are adequately staffed.
“Over the past year, Lytton residents have shown tremendous strength as the community has come together to recover from what was lost,” said BC Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth. “With new funding to help get essential services and infrastructure back up and running, the Village of Lytton is taking another step forward on this challenging journey of rebuilding. The province has supported that journey, and we’re going to keep working together to rebuild Lytton.”
Farnworth had previously announced that rebuilding efforts in Lytton would likely being in September. It was noted back then that although a short-term plan was already in place to rebuild homes, the community was still working on a long-term plan to deal with the lack of phone, internet and power services.
“Earlier this year, provincial funding helped the Village of Lytton undertake debris removal and remediation work on all properties to restore the ground so residents could look ahead to rebuilding,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness Jennifer Rice. “Now, additional funding will help the village take necessary next steps to assist people starting to safely return to the area and know that they are supported with essential services.”
Past funding for Lytton included $9.3 million to support ongoing village operations and initial recovery efforts, and another $18.4 million to assist in debris removal, archaeological work and soil remediation.
“We know there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done, but this new funding is a significant step toward recovery,” commented Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development Roly Russell.
