Finance Critic Milobar questions province’s commitment to wildfire recovery, says 2022 budget lacks details

KAMLOOPS — The BC Liberals’ finance critic will wait for the details of how the $2.1 billion designated for recovery efforts and future response to disasters from the 2022 B.C. budget will be spent.

Peter Milobar, Kamloops-North Thompson MLA, says the dollar figures such as the $1.1 billion contingency fund to cover future costs don’t have detail. He says he would have liked to see the NDP provincial government reference a minimum amount of funding that would be accessible for residents in areas of the province that were burned out by wildfires.

“Usually, when they have good news on budget day, they make sure it’s in the speech,” Milobar told CFJC Today. “The vast majority of [this budget] is slated for flood recovery works, which is completely understandable. But we want to make sure the people of Lytton, Monte Lake, the Okanagan, and other areas that saw their lives change forever with their houses and livelihoods burned to the ground are properly accounted for in those dollars as well. Unfortunately, when it’s not highlighted in the budget at the same time, it makes one question whether or not the government is truly committed to proper recovery in those areas.”

On Tuesday (Feb. 22), Finance Minister Selina Robinson said the $2.1 billion climate response and adaptation program includes wildfire prevention support for communities and expands the province’s B.C. Wildfire Service into a full-time operation. Milobar questions how the rollout of a year-round fire service plays out, and whether Kamloops plays a significant role after being in the centre of numerous wildfires of note in 2021.

Going forward, Milobar expects each of the BC Liberals critics to dive into the budget and ask their respective ministers questions about certain projects and initiatives. Elsewhere, he adds he and Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone will press Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix about the cancer centre promise for Kamloops.

with files from the Canadian Press