Municipal governments in the Southern Interior are hoping to hold the province to account on giving out permits for flood repairs.

The Southern Interior Local Government Assocation wants the province to ensure it has appropriate staffing to issue repair permits after disasters.

“They only have a certain window of opportunity to get into those channels of waters, where the debris has accumulated by a bridge, to clear it up. But because of the regulations from the (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), the federal government, they only have maybe a week or two to get in there and do that before the river rises and because of fish habitat disturbance,” Kamloops councillor and SILGA director Bill Sarai says.

“But the permits never come on time, and that was one of the concerns I have. I think those permits should be fast-tracked, especially when you know the window of opportunity is only so much to clear that debris.”

Sarai says many rural representatives in the area say their residents have the means and know-how to do needed flood repairs but says too often they are waiting for permits.