Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank so many members of this place and their constituents who have reached out and passed on support to the good people of Princeton and Merritt, along with the many small indigenous communities in the Similkameen and Nicola valleys, who have been devastated by flooding. While there has been some positive news that some residents can return home, the reality is that many challenges remain.
It is one thing for people to clean up their homes and remove destroyed belongings, but those belongings pile up on streets and need to be removed. Sewer systems are not working; there is no water, and in many places there is no gas or electricity and thus no heat. Each night the temperature drops further below zero, and it does not move much above zero in the day. All of these residents are in a race against time now, to rebuild their lives as much as possible before the true freeze of winter sets in.
I would like to ask all members of this House to continue to think and advocate for the people of Merritt, Princeton and those other small communities that need every bit of support and every bit of encouragement we can muster right now and in the future.