B.C. invests in disaster resilience to combat climate change
The province will give 39 communities more than $19 million for disaster-risk reduction efforts
Since 2017, the B.C. government has invested $369 million into the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund. (Wikimedia Commons/Trougnouf Benoit Brummer)
As communities across British Columbia face increased risks from climate change weather events, the provincial government is investing funds in disaster-risk reduction efforts to protect people and infrastructure.
The province will be giving 39 communities more than $19 million for 46 projects from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). The funding will help communities address vulnerabilities and support planning and decision-making, reducing the impact of future climate disasters.
“People and communities throughout B.C. are experiencing extreme weather emergencies such as extreme heat, wildfires and floods like never before due to climate change,” wrote Kelly Greene, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, in an email statement to The Runner.
“And we know we need to build stronger, so communities are more resilient to climate disaster.”
Since the CEPF was established in 2017, the B.C. government has invested $369 million in funding towards local governments and First Nations for about 2,150 projects throughout the province.
“Through this fund, our government supports communities and First Nations with emergency preparedness — from ensuring they have the equipment they need at emergency operation centres to keep people safe, to building infrastructure projects that will strengthen community resiliency to climate disasters,” Greene wrote.
Some of the projects the increased funding will support include safeguarding the wastewater treatment plant in Merritt, making improvements to the Toby Creek dike in Invermere to meet unexpected water levels, and replacing the Gold Creek Dam in Cranbrook.
“Every dollar spent on disaster mitigation now can help save far more on recovery costs down the road,” Greene wrote.
Last year, the province invested $3.5 million in Clearwater to support the reconstruction of erosion protection at the Old North Thompson Highway Bridge, working to protect the community from flooding, she added.
“In Surrey, we invested nearly $5 million to respond to increased frequency of flooding at the Upper Serpentine River by enhancing the Fry’s Corner drainage pump station and raising and widening the Latimer Creek dike. This work will safeguard important transportation corridors and agricultural lands, providing protection against a one-in-200-year flood,” Greene wrote.
First Nations and local governments may apply for CEPF funding through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, which administers the funding on behalf of the province. Applications are reviewed for eligibility, technical merit, and outcomes, Greene wrote.
To learn more about the CEPF funding, visit the B.C.’s government’s website.
