Five years after wildfire destroyed most of Lytton, British Columbia, rebuilding remains slow despite more than $140 million in committed public funding. Norm Van Eeden Petersman talks with Michel Durand-Wood, author of You’ll Pay for This, and Graham Watt, who manages strategic initiatives and flood recovery for Grand Forks, British Columbia. They look at what happens when a small town is pushed to rebuild everything at once, while also dealing with hazardous conditions, limited local capacity, consulting costs, modern codes, and the long-term obligation to maintain whatever comes next. The money creates a promise of recovery, but Lytton shows how hard it is to turn that promise back into a town.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• "Inside Lytton’s contentious recovery, where concerns smoulder 5 years after wildfire" by Brenna Owen, Halifax.citynews.ca (June 2026)
• Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
• Michel Durand-Wood (Site)
• Graham Watt (LinkedIn)
• Downzone:
  
  • The Baby-Sitters Club 
  • Human Nature by Kate Marvel (Site)
  • The Blackthorn Key, by Kevin Sands (Site)
• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

 

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.