The lifting of the province-wide state of emergency means the recovery process is ready to begin for the BC government.
The nearly 1.2 million hectares of destroyed land has impacted many residents over the past two months, and the season is still not over.
Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations Doug Donaldson says the recovery process will now be in his hands.
“Forestry staff are issuing salvage licenses, expediting permits to help forest workers get back as quickly as possible. My Ministry staff will be actively engaging with First Nations to ensure all government agencies are providing the necessary programs to assist wildfire recovery efforts.”
As 155 wildfires continue to burn, Emergency Management BC (EMBC) believes the State of Emergency, and the extraordinary measures that came with it, is no longer needed.
NEW: #BC to work with communities on wildfire recovery. https://t.co/sug4JCaC6d @BCGovFireInfo #BCWildfire
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) September 15, 2017
Donaldson adds there are four key components in the rebuilding initiative.
“People in communities, the economy, the environment, and infrastructure and reconstruction; we provided $100 million to the Canadian Red Cross, and $21 million has been provided so far to 52,000 individuals.”
The process also includes the $200 million ranchers’ grant to help rebuild farms.
There are still 3,000 firefighters, from in and out-of-province, continuing to battle the blazes
The BC Wildfire Service is asking the public to respect any campfire ban, backcountry closure, and off-road restrictions still in place in the Cariboo, Kamloops, and Kootenay.
.@DonaldsonDoug: Grateful for firefighters, crews in & out of province for protecting all communities | #bcpoli #BCWildfires
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) September 15, 2017
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