Cariboo MLA’s are demanding that the Provincial Government hand over wildfire information to families that have suffered devastating losses.
Cariboo North Liberal MLA Coralee Oakes says she and Donna Barnett, the MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding, are putting pressure on the NDP to expedite Freedom of Information requests, information she says constituents need in order to get the money that’s necessary to rebuild.
And Oakes says they also have to pay five thousand dollars to get this information, which she says it not fair…
“At a time when people are absolutely devastated, they are trying to rebuild their lives, to be told that not only can’t you get the information, it’s going to cost you 5 thousand dollars, it’s just not acceptable.”
Oakes says she has now asked these question three times in question period.
She says they have also asked several different ministries why there is no line item in their budgets for wildfire recovery…
“When we went to Forests, Lands and Natural Resources they said that they’ll be putting a treasury board submission forward in the spring. So where do people go right now ? Where do people go who have lost everything ? Where do they go for help if there is no money available ?”
Oakes says insurance doesn’t cover things like wells, sewage facilities or hydro poles and they have been told by the government that local governments will be putting that forward in their recovery plans.
She says people don’t have time to wait.