Frustrations are mounting over the slow pace of recovery in wildfire-ravaged Lytton, British Columbia, though hopes remain that the town will be rebuilt into a sustainable, resilient community, despite the loss of its property tax base.
Last June, a massive wildfire destroyed 90% of Lytton’s infrastructure, caused two deaths, and displaced hundreds of residents. Seven months later, the town remains a burned-out shell, said former mayor Jocella Lightfoot, speaking with CBC Daybreak Kamloops last week. “Black and charred,” Lytton is dotted with standing chimneys like a place destroyed by war, she said.
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“The perceived lack of progress has tensions running,” writes CBC News, adding that “since the fire occurred, the village has seen three recovery managers—the most recent one dismissed as the village changed its recovery model.”
Mayor Jan Polderman declined an interview with CBC, citing criticism from residents and saying he didn’t want to legitimize their complaints.
Polderman had been more positive weeks after the fire when he spoke with Global News of the town’s intention to rebuild as a net-zero “green” community from which others, including Vancouver, might learn.
He had said he hoped the town could rebuild by July 2023, optimism possibly buoyed by the fact that Lytton had secured firm commitments from the federal and provincial governments to support the work.
Polderman also said he hoped the tragic fire would lead the town-dwellers and surrounding First Nations “to come together to create a brighter future.”
But recovery has turned out to be a “very complex situation,” said disaster expert Ron Mattiussi, who was placed as an advisor to the town by the B.C. government. Mattiussi, who helped the city of Grand Forks rebuild after catastrophic flooding in 2018, told CTV that since Lytton is built on an ancient First Nations settlement, an archaeological review and permit will be needed before any work that disturbs the soil takes place—including remediation to remove toxins like industrial chemicals or asbestos.
“I wish I could give the citizens—people living there—some certainty, but I can’t,” he said at the time. “It’s just that there’s too many pieces in play, but it is our goal to get people back into their homes as quickly as possible.”
Three months on, Mattiussi continues to plead for patience and understanding. “Unfortunately you don’t see a lot happening on the ground, but there is a lot happening in the background,” he told CBC/
“Residents will likely soon see some of progress as the village started accepting applications for demolition permits just last week,” the national broadcaster adds.
But expenses are mounting. Citing delays in recovery and reconstruction, the Insurance Bureau of Canada announced in January that estimated insured losses in Lytton now stand at $102 million in insured damage, an increase from an initial estimate of $78 million last August.
Last Wednesday, B.C. announced it will provide C$8.3 million to support Lytton’s operations and recovery. About 75% of that funding will be sent immediately to help address the water and wastewater system, legal and governance issues, debris removal, and environmental and archaeological remediation, reports Global News.
Asked what’s next for Lytton, Lightfoot echoed Polderman’s earlier vision of a town rebuilt for the 21st century: green, resilient, and flourishing. That plan remains “doable”, she said, with “springtime just around the corner—a good time to encourage hope and visioning.”
People nowadays expect instant ‘push-button’ cures following catastrophes such as the Lytton
Fire last summer. From toxins such as asbestos and various metals to important archeological
history, it is incumbent for all concerned that to do a proper recovery, it will take time to establish a sequence which end in a newly rebuilt community hopefully more immune to
the kinds of ravages due to climate change, CO2 build up, and higher temperatures. The restoration of sustainable ecology must go hand-in-hand with economic recovery. So patience is the order of the day, as we build back better.
By leaving asbestos dust open to the winds a hazard was allowed to remain unabated. By leaving heavy metals in the debris open to the rain and runoff a source of river pollution has been allowed to continue . I went to the first 3 days after the fire and none of the police or forestry workers were wearing masks even while the fires continued to smoulder.