BC Forests Minister Doug Donaldson has commissioned an indepedent review into the government's response to this spring's record flooding - and this summer's historic fire season.
As part of the review, the minister says they'll re-examine the Filmon Report into the devastating fires of 2003 - and West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater, on AM 1150's Early Edition today, said they'll find the province fell short on that report's recommendation for widespread wildfire mitigation.
"Which has not been fully followed up on - maybe about 10% of it - and perhaps out of that discussion we can get a much more comprehensive wildfire mitigation program in British Columbia," he said.
Findlater also said what also needs to happen is the province remove the liability from working on private lands "and to be able to go there, because one of our biggest problems is private lands that have not been mitigated in and around our municipality."
He says "we know mitigation works - where they remove the fuel, but not necessarily all the trees - we know that slows down fire when it comes into an area, and we can do that to protect our communities in British Columbia."
At last month's Union of BC Municipalities gathering, West Kelowna asked for a review into how the spring flooding was handled - especially the timing of the spring runoff in relation to the release of water from Okanagan Lake at various dams.
Findlater said he believes the Ministry, under the circumstances, pulled the trigger at the right time.
The government hopes the review will be ready by next spring.