A pair of B.C. MLAs who helped support the rebuild of Grand Forks following the floods of 2018 have now been tasked as recovery liaisons between the B.C. government and the Village of Lytton.

Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced the appointments of Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, and Roly Russell, the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, to the role on Wednesday afternoon.

“I am confident they will bring both their knowledge of disaster recovery and a compassionate lens to this significant directive,” Farnworth said, in a statement.

“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.”

Two residents were killed while much of the community of Lytton was destroyed by a fast moving wildfire that began on June 30. That fire went on to burn more than 83,000 hectares of land and destroy dozens more structures.

Earlier this month, Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart made an emotional plea in the Legislature to try and get answers for residents who remain displaced.

“Ninety-nine days and still not allowed full access to their homes. Ninety-nine days of restaurant food. Ninety-nine days of displacement. Ninety-nine days of frustration, anxiety, no answers, no hope, limited assistance… with winter on its way,” she said.

“Lyttonites are resilient people, who are anxious to move forward on the path to recovery. But everyone in the community has been traumatized. I ask government to step up, provide the support that was promised, and let’s get our people home.”

Farnworth adds emergency supports for Lytton residents has already been approved through to the end of November, though people who lost their homes can expect to get supports until at least the spring.

“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,” he added. “To ensure community debris removal progresses, the Province has stepped in to get this important work coordinated 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.”

He says when an issue does arise, both Rice and Russell will be “ready to ensure” that the Province can take the appropriate action without any delay.

“There will be many challenges in this recovery in the weeks and months to come,” Farnworth said. “But I can assure Lyttonites that the Province will continue to work directly with the village to get you back on your feet.”

“The last few months have been extraordinarily challenging for those affected by the catastrophic wildfire in Lytton. The near-total loss of the community is heartbreaking, and this devastating event remains in the thoughts of British Columbians. While wildfire recovery is led by the communities affected, I want to assure residents that Lytton is not doing this alone.”