Province dedicates more funds to rebuild Lytton

The Village of Lytton that was razed during the 2021 wildfire season is getting some financial support from the province.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the B.C. government will provide $18.4 million in new funding to support the work needed to rebuild the community.

“This will cover the substantial costs of debris removal, archaeological work and soil remediation for all the uninsured and under-insured properties in the village,” said Farnworth.

“The debris removal work will start with the municipal property sites [Tuesday, March 8], and expand to residential properties once that work is complete.”

According to British Columbia Assessment, 187 of 193 (97 per cent) residential and business properties in the village experienced damage that resulted in a partial write-down of their property assessment for 2022. Of the 187 damaged properties, 124 (66 per cent) were materially damaged or destroyed by a wildfire June 30, 2021.

Farnworth added that the province has partnered with insurance providers, non-government organizations and the village itself to expedite the work and remove some cost obstacles for the people of Lytton.

“First, we are financing the immediate removal of debris including ash, soot, metals, bricks, and other building materials from more than 200 properties,” said Farnworth.

“Following this, the province is coordinating and funding the costs for the archaeological work. This is an area of significant cultural importance, and we need to be careful and respectful.”

He added that the archaeological work will identify and preserve any findings in the area, and that collaborative resource management with the Entlakat First Nation will help drive forward local reconciliation.

After these processes are complete, the work will turn towards site remediation .

“Soil remediation will remove any contaminants from the ground and restore the landscape into a safe site for the village and the residents to rebuild on,” said Farnworth.

“To help meet these milestones quickly the province is also funding a work site with temporary housing for up to 30 staff, consultants and construction workers who are going to be doing a lot of this work on the ground.”

An assistant deputy minister has also been assigned to work hand-in-hand with the village to ensure the work is done properly and in a timely manner.

“Clearly there’s a lot of work ahead and we’re backing the community to get this done, and get it done right.”