County reeve optimistic about gov’t fire aid

By Tim Kalinowski on November 25, 2017.

tkalinowski@medicinehatnews.com @MHNTimKal

Cypress County Reeve Richard Oster is hopeful meetings with government ministers last week will eventually yield results for locals near Hilda devastated by the wildfires of Oct. 17.

“Last Wednesday we met with Minister of Agriculture Oneil Carlier, and Friday we met with Shaye Anderson, the Minister of Public Works. Both meetings were very positive … We had lots of discussion — trying to find a way they could fit this Hilda situation into their programs.”

Oster admits however, there is still some legwork to do before concrete relief funding proposals are put on the table.

“They have their parameters, and those parameters make it hard for them to do anything,” explains Oster. “They have nothing in there for a grassfire of this magnitude … We discussed with the government: This is an exception to your typical grassfire, we said. And maybe such exceptions should be added to the parameters of the relief programs.”

Oster says both ministries are looking for what he calls “wiggle room” to find some way to put funding together through existing relief programs.

“They are trying to make this work,” says Oster. “I feel positive if there is anything they can do, they will.”

At the local level, the county has helped dispose of burned animal carcasses, and is bringing in a soil expert to bolster the disaster relief funding argument. Oster says the county also intends to focus its weed control efforts mainly in the areas affected by wildfire to ensure native species have the advantage in re-establishing themselves first.

Part of the unknown right now for everybody living in the fire damaged areas, says Oster, is what will regrow naturally on the grasslands when the spring comes. Knowing that will allow the county to help push the province for more funding in specific areas of the recovery effort, he says.

“It’s a little bit of a wait and see right now,” admits Oster, “because we don’t know yet what is going to grow back in the spring. We are hopeful, and thank goodness we have the moisture and that has stopped the drifting.”

For the time being, Oster says the county has discussed with the province getting low- or no-interest loans for those affected by the fire, or having the province possibly set up a donation-matching policy similar to what the province of Saskatchewan has done to help fire victims on its side of the border.

“I feel our job at Cypress County is to make sure these people are not forgotten,” states Oster. “The fire is over but there are still a lot of things they need help with. We have opened the door with the government and we’re going to keep that door open.”

13
-12

Comments are closed.