B.C. provides $23.4M in funding to better prepare communities for climate-related emergencies

British Columbia has announced $23.4 million in funding to help communities reduce risks from future disasters related to natural hazards and climate change.

Bowinn Ma, the minister of emergency management and climate readiness, says 49 First Nations and local governments will receive funding to go toward measures and items like risk assessments, monitoring equipment, community education, and structural improvements.

Projects include upgrades for the Chilliwack Creek drainage pump station, a new dike on the Coldwater River in Merritt and misting stations in Victoria to help during extreme heat.

Kelli Paddon, the MLA for Chilliwack–Kent, said her community suffered tremendous losses during flooding in November 2021. The funding announced Friday, she says, signals a commitment  "to mitigating the impacts of these climate-related disasters before they happen."

Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz says he was pleased to receive $2 million in funding for dike work for the Clearwater River. Much of his community was evacuated in Nov. 2021 after a massive storm caused the Coldwater River to breach.

"All I've been able to do since I got in this mayor's chair is have bad news stories, so it's kind of nice to have a good news story today," he said.

Goetz says the funding will go toward flood mitigation work between the public works yard and the Canford Avenue Dike.

Goetz notes the city is seeking upwards of $160 million in funding from other levels of government for its proposed flood mitigation plan.

"It's a start," he said of Friday's funding announcement. "It's the first step into recovery of the community."

The investments are the latest to come from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund.