The MLA for Kamloops South Thompson says there needs to be more unity amongst municipal and provincial governments when it comes to helping British Columbians with wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts.

BC United Todd Stone says while wildfires are still raging across the region, including the Bush Creek East fire in the Shuswap, he says challenges with access to recovery supports, resources, and rebuild permits must be addressed.

“One of the frustrations for me is year after year when these fires come through a community like Monte Lake, Paxton Valley, or in the case of this year now North Shuswap — we should be able to draw upon lessons learned and make changes moving forward so that when it happens to somebody else in a different community, the response is faster — yet that doesn’t ever seem to be the case.

Stone says his party is calling for a one-stop shop for individuals working to rebuild – where all different agencies and levels of government work together under one roof – to relieve bottlenecks in the system.

“I think we’d be able to see some progress in terms of expediting the time that it takes for people to get the necessary permits and the necessary supports and resources to rebuild, but absent doing that and doing it differently, we’re gonna we’re gonna end up with the same results that we’ve seen for too many years now.”

Stone says this as the current system for those looking to rebuild is complex and stagnant.

“There are a whole bunch of different permits that are required from different agencies of the provincial government, which happened to fall in different ministries that don’t often talk with one another. The classic right hand left hand not being in alignment,” he said.

“There are local government requirements and permits that even further isn’t necessarily in alignment with provincial permits and requirements.”

Stone is calling on Premier David Eby to make changes to the current system with access to wildfire recovery support and resources for British Columbians.