North Coast MLA tasked as part of liaison for Lytton recovery program

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice will have a few extra duties in her role as Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness for the next little while, that as Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General appoints her to one of two government liaison positions with the Village of Lytton municipal government.

Ms. Rice and Roly Russell, the Parlimentary Secretary for Rural Development will serve as part of the liaison effort towards recovery work for the Interior community that was destroyed by wildfire earlier this summer.

The Public Safety Minister outlining the duties as follows:

“To help ensure a strong, lasting recovery for the Village of Lytton, cabinet has tasked Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, and Roly Russell, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, as recovery liaisons between our government and the village. 

Parliamentary secretaries Rice and Russell have extensive experience in supporting Grand Forks’ ongoing community rebuild following the 2018 floods, and I am confident they will bring both their knowledge of disaster recovery and a compassionate lens to this significant directive. 

Starting immediately, the parliamentary secretaries will strengthen lines of communication with the mayor and council of the Village of Lytton. 

They will listen to the feedback that is provided to the village by residents and will bring this information back to government through the cabinet working group on wildfire recovery."

There was a fair  bit criticism of the provincial government during the immediate period following the fire.

And frustrations have popped again in recent weeks over the slow pace of engagement on the rebuild for the community, a topic that the Minster addressed as well on Wednesday.

“We all want to see Lytton rebuilt and rebuilt quickly. But the reality is that housing solutions take time. There will be bumps along the road to recovery. 

To ensure community debris removal progresses, the Province has stepped in to get this important work co-ordinated and underway in a timely manner. 

We have committed funding for both the transportation and disposal of debris preventing further delays in the cleanup process.

When issues like this arise in Lytton, parliamentary secretaries Rice and Russell will be ready to ensure the Province can take appropriate action without delay."

You can review the full scope of the Public Safety Ministers message here.

More items of note from the Legislature can be explored here.