Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Lytton residents will have their class-action lawsuit against Canada’s two major railway companies heard in the BC Supreme Court, thanks partly to new evidence of high brake temperatures on a train passing through the community shortly before the town burned. The news comes almost 4 1/2 years after a fire on June 30, 2021, levelled 90 per cent of the village’s buildings and killed two residents. In a decision issued Tuesday, BC Supreme Court Justice Ward Branch agreed to certify a class-action lawsuit brought by residents against Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway. He said the plaintiffs had provided enough evidence to suggest the allegation that railway operations may have played a role in starting the fire had “some basis in fact” — a key standard to determine whether such a suit can proceed. The fire is believed to have started next to railway tracks just south of the village ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Michele Swan is going home. Last week, a semi truck rolled into Lytton and unloaded her house. Yes, the house was still mostly just lumber. It will take some time to piece together and assemble. A foundation still needs to be poured. But the arrival of just house pieces in town triggered an outpouring of emotion both from Swan and other community members when she posted a photo online ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says it will reverse a decision to not make files publicly available that had been vetted and deemed public through federal access to information laws.  The documents contain thousands of pages of internal government emails discussing the federal investigator’s 2021 investigation into the Lytton Creek fire. They were released to applicants who made formal requests under the Access to Information Act, and summaries of the requests should have been posted online within 30 days ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A familiar face will be running again for the B.C. Green Party in the newly-redrawn Fraser-Nicola riding — which will encompass the communities of Merritt, Logan Lake, Lytton, Boston Bar and Hope. For a second provincial election, Jonah Timms will run for the party. BC United incumbent Jackie Tegart has announced she will seek re-election, while the BC Conservatives and BC NDP have not announced candidates in the riding ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Twenty-seven months after Lytton burned to the ground, residents have finally decided to protest amid continued uncertainty surrounding the basic elements needed to rebuild their town ... ... while lot preparation has continued, no construction looks imminent and angst, confusion and frustration have reached such a point that, for the first time since the fire, Lytton residents are planning to gather to protest the lack of rebuilding in their town and to call attention to ongoing issues delaying the resurrection of Lytton ... CLICK HERE for the full story

 ... Fandrich says she doesn’t know how she will ever repay a $60,000 federal pandemic loan because just as she expected to be profitable in the summer of 2021, her shop burned down with the rest of the town.   And now she faces an estimated $500,000-plus rebuild cost, much higher than the $250,000 insurance she carried.   The costs of rebuilding in Lytton have gone up as costs have increased everywhere, she said. But Lytton also faces additional rebuilding costs because, for example, there is no longer accommodation for workers in town.   “There is no way I can rebuild. … I am still paying two mortgages on the building. I am struggling week to week,” said Fandrich, a single mother.   Even when her insurance claim is resolved, she would be lucky to repay the mortgages, she noted ... CLICK HERE to read the full story