FREDERICTON, June 27, 2018 /CNW/ - Flooding is Canada's costliest and most frequent natural disaster, and New Brunswick has experienced firsthand the devastating impacts of flooding this spring. Today, Matt DeCourcey, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced over $500,000 in federal funding to New Brunswick under the National Disaster Mitigation Program for two projects to better plan for and prevent the effects of flooding.
The Government of Canada will be providing $390,000 in federal funding over two years, starting in 2018, for a project that will create new flood hazard mapping for New Brunswick's inland areas, as well as update existing maps. The data and resulting maps will help provide accurate flood hazard information to the province so it can take steps to help avoid future flooding and mitigate existing flood risk.
In addition, the Government of Canada will provide $156,250 in federal funding over two years to New Brunswick for a second project, which started in 2017. This project will create the first-ever complete set of flood hazard maps for New Brunswick's ocean coastline. Up-to-date and accurate mapping will provide New Brunswick's coastal communities with a valuable tool to reduce the risk of flooding by identifying extreme sea levels. Both projects announced today will help guide land-use policies and decisions, reducing the impacts of flooding in the future.
The Federal Government is contributing $546,250 and the New Brunswick Government is contributing $595,425 in funding for these two projects.
The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial and territorial partners on a disaster relief approach that will allow us to better identify, plan for and reduce the impact of weather-related emergencies and natural disasters on Canadians.
Quotes
"Weather-related natural disasters are getting more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive. This is a threat not only to the safety of our communities, but to our economic stability. The Government of Canada is determined to reduce these risks in partnership with provinces and territories. I welcome this funding as it will equip New Brunswick with the updated tools needed to better plan for and mitigate the impacts of flooding."
— Matt DeCourcey, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, New Brunswick, on behalf of the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
"These projects will provide valuable tools to help implement the province's Climate Change Action Plan. Your government is investing in science-based mapping tools that will help inform decision making as we work collaboratively to keep New Brunswickers safe, build sustainable communities, and design future infrastructure projects."
— The Honourable Andrew Harvey, Minister of Environment and Local Government, New Brunswick
"These projects will help New Brunswickers in both inland and coastal communities make plans for flood-risk reduction. The maps will also be an essential part of a government's due diligence before making funding decisions for infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings."
— The Honourable Denis Landry, Justice and Public Safety Minister, New Brunswick
Quick Facts:
- The NDMP reflects an investment of $200 million over five years, of which $183 million is available for cost-shared, merit-based projects with provinces and territories to reduce the impacts of natural disasters. The Government of Canada pays up to 50 per cent of eligible expenses for provincial projects with the provincial government and 75 per cent of eligible expenses for territorial projects with the territorial government.
- Since its launch in 2015, the NDMP has approved funding for 273 projects across Canada that are helping to build safer, more resilient communities.
- Through the NDMP, the Government of Canada is helping to address rising flood risks and costs, and build the foundation for informed investments that could reduce, or even negate, the effects of flood events. Funding is available for risk assessments, flood mapping, mitigation planning and small scale projects such as storm culverts.
- In addition to investing in provincial and territorial flood mitigation projects through the NDMP, the Government of Canada:
- is investing in public awareness activities and risk and resiliency tools like the Federal Flood Mapping Guidelines to help all levels of government make informed decisions on flood mitigation;
- has created a new $2-billion federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to support the infrastructure required to deal with the effects of a changing climate; and
- is integrating climate resilience into the National Building Code and conducting research to factor climate resilience into the design of buildings.
- According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, insured damage in 2016 topped $4.9 billion – passing the previous annual record of $3.2 billion set in 2013—and the annual economic cost of disasters around the world has increased five-fold since the 1980s. Flooding damage has accounted for 80 per cent of federal disaster assistance payments over the past 20 years.
- Studies have demonstrated that when structural and non-structural investments are implemented in concert, the result is a 6:1 return on investment.
Associated Links
- National Disaster Mitigation Program
- FloodReady
- Federal Flood Mapping Guidelines
- Integrating climate resilience into the National Building Code
SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
Scott Bardsley, Senior Advisor for Communications, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-998-5681, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]
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