After years of delays, more building permits continue to be issued as the Village of Lytton continues to rebuild after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed most of the community.
Lytton Mayor, Denise O’Connor, said five residential building permits have now been issued and over a dozen more permits are “in the queue,” including her own.
“My feeling is that the people right now that are rebuilding are those that had insurance,” O’Connor said.
“It's the businesses that had insurance that are rebuilding as well, the grocery store, the Chinese Museum, the Legion, I understand should be getting their building permits anytime and the rest are residential at this point.”
O’Connor acknowledged some residents won’t be choosing to rebuild and have opted to sell their properties, although she said she wasn’t aware of the intentions of any new property owners.
She said building permit fees are based on construction costs, which are currently “really high” across the province.
“The properties have been remediated and ready to go. So as I said, anybody who who has the means to do it is doing it now,” O’Connor said.
The city’s council approved a program that would reduce building permit fees by 50 per cent until the end of June this year.
State of emergency delayed permits
In a statement to Castanet, the village said its council enacted a state of local emergency following the wildfire that swept through the village in June 2021.
The state of local emergency was renewed weekly since then, eventually expiring two years later in June 2023.
“In the days following the fire, the SOLE was required for safety, protection of property and to allow remediation works to be undertaken,” the village said.
“A key consideration in keeping the SOLE in place was for the [Village of Lytton] to have continued access to privately owned properties to expedite the works to be completed.”
The village said the removal of the state of local emergency allowed property owners to access their properties and begin to make plans for rebuilding where feasible.
The village clarified it didn't believe anyone was turned away from getting a building permit while the state of local emergency was in place.
“Residents didn't apply for a building permit, because they couldn't access their properties. It wasn't the case, however, that they couldn't apply without access to their property," the village said.
Residents have waited on debris cleanup, soil removal, backfilling and archaeological work to complete before being able to rebuild their homes and businesses.
Support for business owners?
A report on tourism economic recovery delivered to Lytton’s council last week states that establishing multiple financial support programs for business owners should be a top priority for economic recovery in the village.
“Business owners have made it abundantly clear throughout this data: the majority of them cannot rebuild unless they are able to access a variety of financial assistance programs,” the report reads.
“As time advances, business owners continue to incur additional losses and forgo revenue, making recovery prospects even more grim.”
The report states the village has submitted a grant application to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for a rapid housing initiative, used to address urgent housing needs for vulnerable Canadians.
“Business owners have made it very clear that the majority of them cannot rebuild their businesses unless they are able to rebuild their homes or ensure their employees have homes to live in,” the report states.
“It has been recognized that access to some permanent building sites could be on the horizon, but the community needs to see progress now, before they lose hope in rebuilding the Village.”
The first commercial permits were issued in April 2022 and June 2023 to allow a TELUS building to restore services, the village said.
The first building permit was issued in October 2023 for a single-family home.
Lytton residents protested rebuilding delays in October 2023.
