It’s been over 19 months since a fire devastated the village of Lytton and the neighbouring First Nation and while the rebuild process has been slow, locals are hoping a new grocery store is a sign of recovery – and a return of a sense of community.
When the Lytton First Nation (LFN) Community Store opened quietly on Jan. 30, staff said customers were tearing up at the opportunity to purchase groceries again.
“Everybody is just so joyful to have something to come to,” manager Aimee Peters said.
“Mostly happy, people are mostly glad to have a store back,” added employee Haley Johnny.
Built from refurbished containers on a field across from the LFN band office on Main Street, the grocery store offers produce, meat, dairy items, other food staples and snacks.
While there are plans for a more permanent larger store with food processing facilities, the Lytton First Nation said this is a temporary solution for locals who’ve had difficulty accessing groceries since the June 30, 2021 fire.
Approximately 800 of over 2,000 LFN members live on reserve, according to economic development manager John Sam, who said the vast majority have been driving upwards of three hours – and travelling as far as Kamloops to buy essential food items.
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“It’s been a trial for a lot of the members to go through,” said Sam.
“It’s really good to have a store back in our community to save us on fuel to travel out of town,” said one resident named Jesse.
Sam said Lytton residents have been without many services since fire destroyed most of the village, killing two people and displacing hundreds.
Darian Moody remembers fleeing when the flames roared through.
“It was scary,” recalled the Lytton resident.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen at all.”
While many Lyttonites remain scattered in hotels or with family elsewhere, some are gradually coming back to the fire-ravaged area.
The provincial and federal governments have dedicated more than $135 million to relief, cleanup, and archaeological work in Lytton – along with the rebuilding of homes, businesses and public infrastructure.
While Sam said about 50 containers are being used as interim housing, the village’s mayor said there’s been no reconstruction so far and it’s hoped the community store is a sign of recovery.
“It’s one service, one essential service that will help bring people back as they start to rebuild,” Denise O’Connor told Global News.
O’Connor said she’s heard debris removal and soil remediation is coming to an end – but no official deadlines have been given.
“It’s been extremely frustrating,” she said.“We’ve been asking specifically for timelines and dates but it’s just not there, we’re just not getting it.”
Meantime, Sam said a temporary post office has been set up and police have returned to the village with a building downtown.
Depending on the speed of Lytton’s rebuild, Sam said the community store could remain open for up to two years.
“Sometimes stuff moves as slow as a dinosaur,” Sam told Global News.
“But we’re still here, were resilient.”
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