B.C. Opposition House leader calls for central wildfire recovery service

Opposition B.C. United House Leader Todd Stone is calling on the provincial government to form a centralized service to help people rebuild their homes after they've been lost or damaged by wildfire. 

Speaking with CBC Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce, Stone said rebuilding after a wildfire is a complicated process that can take years for people to navigate. 

"We, as elected officials, we need to all do what we can to best support people," said Stone.

"And in this case, it means helping people … begin the process of helping them prepare to rebuild and make that happen as soon as possible." 

Stone, the MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson, said losing a home in a wildfire often triggers many layers of tasks, including removing burned debris, dealing with contaminated soil and restoring B.C. Hydro service. 

The process can be daunting for homeowners and takes a long time because each stage can only be triggered once the previous one is complete, Stone said. 

The Lytton example

As an example, Stone pointed to Lytton, where residents are still waiting for building permits more than two years after a devastating wildfire destroyed most of the village.

"There's not a single family that's living in Lytton yet."

After a devastating wildfire season that destroyed homes in many areas of B.C., including the Shuswap, Kelowna and Kamloops, Stone said, there are now hundreds of families beginning to grapple with the rebuilding process. 

Stone said a centralized wildfire recovery service would bring together all the different government agencies in one place, with a commitment to expedite rebuilding efforts. 

Lytton Mayor Denise O'Connor agrees that a centralized hub for recovery would be helpful. 

O'Connor said recovery in the province is currently community-led. But she said that doesn't work in a situation like Lytton, which was almost completely destroyed. 

'We just don't have the capacity'

There are other challenges for smaller communities, she pointed out. 

"We just don't have the capacity to know all those pieces of information of where to go, what you do, who to contact," she said. "We're scrambling to find out the different information." 

In a written statement, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said the province supports fire-affected communities in their community-led recovery efforts. 

The ministry said the province helps local authorities set up community resiliency centres "to help people heal, recover and rebuild from the devastating wildfires."

"These centres are a one-stop shop to assist people and businesses as they begin the transition from response to recovery," it said, noting these centres are currently open in the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District. 

The ministry said the centres provide support and information from government and non-government agencies, including provincial and municipal building permit advisory support.

But O'Connor said in the case of Lytton, the resiliency centre wasn't open until November, five months after the wildfire that destroyed her community. 

O'Connor said supports are needed for the community immediately after a wildfire strikes to help people cope with the trauma of the event and know what comes next. 

"You know, how am I going to move on with my life now? What am I going to do? What do I need to do to rebuild my home?"