Feds announce $77M for Lytton rebuild with focus on ‘resilient, net-zero design’

The federal government is contributing $77.2 million to efforts to rebuild the Village of Lytton, which was virtually destroyed by wildfire nearly a year ago.

Minister for International Development Harjit Sajjan, who is also responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, made the announcement Tuesday in the B.C. community, saying the funding will help make Lytton a “leading example of resilient, net-zero design.”

Of that money, $64 million will go to support construction of net-zero, fire-resistant public buildings, while $6 million will be allocated to the Lytton Homeowner Resilient Rebuild program, which will support locals who rebuild their homes to net-zero and fire-resistant standards. The remaining $7.2 million will go toward creating the Lytton Business Restart program, to help get small and medium size businesses back on track.

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• Rebuild of Lytton, B.C., after devastating wildfire to begin by September: minister

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• Lytton, B.C. rebuild getting $18.4M from province, eight months after catastrophic fire

• Wildfire-ravaged Lytton won’t see power grid fix until next spring: Mayor

“The people of Lytton suffered a devastating loss in the 2021 wildfire,” Sajjan said Tuesday. “The strength and hope they have shown is inspiring. This funding that we announced today will help rebuild Lytton and the businesses that are at its core. With this investment, Lytton will be positioned to become a leader in resilient, net-zero design that will support the community for today and tomorrow alike.”

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Last week, B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the work would likely begin in September — about 15 months after the catastrophe.

Farnworth met with his federal counterpart, Bill Blair, for the fourth time in a series of five meetings Friday to discuss climate change and the disaster response to wildfires and floods in B.C. last year.

Blair announced on Friday that Ottawa is sending an advance payment of $207 million to the province as it finalizes applications for the federal disaster assistance fund for communities affected by the wildfire season. The full request is more than twice that.

The federal government says the millions in funding to help rebuild Lytton will help ensure the community “becomes a model for recovery after a climate change related disaster.” Many experts have warned climate-related disasters will likely increase in frequency in the coming years.

A fast-moving fire swept across the Village of Lytton on June 30, amid a record heatwave in the province. Just days prior, Lytton recorded the hottest-ever temperature in Canada three times, the highest being 49.6 C. Two people died in the fire.

In March, the province announced it was contributing an additional $18.4 million to the rebuild, after earlier putting up $9.3 million.

Lytton resident Denise O’Connor, whose home was incinerated in the fire, told CityNews there is lingering frustration and anxiety over what many consider the province’s slow response to rebuilding the community.

Many questions have been raised in the months since the community was destroyed. However, a report on the wildfire concluded last month that the disaster couldn’t have been stopped, even with an area-wide emergency response.

According to the report, scientists found the root cause was “easily ignitable structures and homes, and not just a wildfire problem.”

It says even the best possible fire response would have been “overwhelmed” because at least 20 buildings were fully engulfed within 80 minutes and would have required at least 60 fire trucks to contain.

An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board also ruled out any link between the railway operations and the wildfire despite earlier claims by some residents. Images and video that circulated on social media of a train with smoke nearby led some people to believe the fire may have been caused by the train. However, the lead investigator said images and video could not link that train to the one passing through Lytton.