It’s been nearly two years since the McDougall Creek wildfire raced along the Westside and many have either rebuilt or are well on their way to rebuilding their homes. The same can’t be said for those who lived at Lake Okanagan Resort.

Most of the rubble has been cleared away leaving empty concrete shells of what was once a thriving community, but there are no signs of construction.

Heather Ormiston and her partner owned a unit in one of two buildings, Lakeside and Terrace, that overlooked the main beach and dock. While the strata council has received insurance money, they are running against a brick wall when it comes to the owners of the resort itself.

"The foreign owners have been unresponsive regarding restoring the essential services that we need in order to obtain a building permit to rebuild our buildings,” said Ormiston.

There are eight other strata councils on the property. Ormiston says they were one of the few that owned the land their buildings stood on. Nearby, a three-storey complex that appears untouched by the fire is boarded up and surrounded by fencing. Ormiston said no one can live in the units because of the lack of water, sewer and electrical services.

She believes the provincial government has an obligation to step in and help the displaced residents of Lake Okanagan Resort.

“When does sec. 91 of the Water Sustainability Act apply? If not now, when?” asked Ormiston.

“Sec. 91 of the Water Sustainability Act gives the provincial government full authority to step in when a water utility fails, repair it or replace it and recover the costs from the owner.”

She bought her unit as an investment property about a year and a half before the fire. Others lived in their condos year-round, like Jennifer Triggs, who bought in 2019. Triggs and her partner, John Russell, have lived in three different rentals since the fire, spending tens of thousands of dollars on rent while still paying her mortgage and strata fees.

“I’ve had to work two jobs just to put food on the table and even some months that’s a struggle,” said Triggs.

They did not have contents insurance, so not only did they lose their home, they had to replace everything from furniture to clothing. But what they truly miss is the people who were their neighbours.

“We really relied on each other to help each other out. Hey, you’re going to town, can I give you a list of stuff? We’d help each other out with groceries, errands, barbecues, events. We really were a great community out there. I really do miss it,” said Triggs.

She and John just want some level of government to step in and help them get their community back.

“We want the shovels in the ground. It’s going to be two years in August, said Triggs.

“Get rid of the red tape. I think the government can do a lot more than what they’re saying on the news and in other articles There has to be some resolution to this. Hundreds of people are displaced.”

Castanet contacted the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship for a comment on Ormiston’s call for the government to invoke sec. 91 of the Water Sustainability Act but did not get a response by deadline.