One year on from Bush Creek East fire, the rebuild in the north Shuswap is slowly taking shape.

Columbia Shuswap Regional District Director for the area, Jay Simpson, says of the 176 homes and cabins that were destroyed by the massive fire in the North Shuswap, around a couple dozen are in the process of being rebuilt.

“21 homes and five business permits have been issued “Simpson said. “So of the 176, 21 are currently in progress and building at this point. There are others in the pipeline, and there are still waiting for reports from Geotech people or riparian area people.”

Simpson also says one of the challenges facing residents as they try to rebuild is provincial red-tape.

“The rules have changed since many of these cabins were build, especially along the waterfront and creek sides and things,” Simpson said. “A lot of them were built back in the 70s or 80s and they didn’t have the same rules. Now a cabin has to 100 feet away from a given creek or the lake.”

Simpson says the CSRD is working with the province to try to help residents work through those issues.

But he also does concede that a “significant number” of property owners have chosen not to rebuild.