Mr. Speaker, June 30 marks the second anniversary of the deadly fire in my riding that decimated Lytton, two years of residents without a home, two years of students unable to reunite with their classmates, two years of entrepreneurs unable to restart their businesses.
Lytton entrepreneurs and small businesses are doing everything they can to recover. First hit hard by the pandemic, business owners applied for CEBA to keep operating. Then, destroyed by fire, Lytton small businesses lost their storefronts and inventory and were forced to lay off staff. They have no means of repaying their debt.
Due to the sheer magnitude of disaster and consequential bureaucratic delays, for two years, Lytton businesses have been unable to rebuild and generate revenue, even access their own property. Millions of dollars have been announced to assist Lytton but properties are literally in dust.
Announcements now fall on deaf ears. Where is the action?
Will the government finally deliver tangible support to Lytton business owners?