Government of Canada Contributes to the West London Dyke Reconstruction

OTTAWA, Ontario, Oct. 6 -- Public Safety Canada issued the following news release:

Today, Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London North Centre, on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced a total of $3 million over three years in federal investment through the National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) to the Province of Ontario to support work on the West London Dyke Reconstruction undertaken by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA).

The Government of Canada cost-shares up to 50 per cent of eligible expenses for provincial projects and 75 per cent of eligible expenses for territorial projects. The Government of Canada is contributing $3 million and the Ontario Government and other partners are contributing $6.6 million for the West London Dyke Reconstruction.

This funding will contribute to elevation improvements being done to the dyke located in the heart of London, protecting many local residences and businesses from the risk of flooding from the Thames River. The Government is providing federal funding totalling $1.5 million to the UTRCA for Phase 3 of the West London Dyke Reconstruction, currently underway, which runs from 2016-2018. The Government of Canada will also provide a total of $1.5 million over 2017-2019 to the UTRCA for Phase 4 of the West London Dyke Reconstruction.

The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial and territorial partners on a disaster mitigation 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. The projects announced today will help Ontario better prepare for and respond to flooding."

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"This funding will help protect our community from the flooding and mitigate potential impacts that could result from emergencies. I would like to recognize the great collaboration of all level of governments that are working together to manage and mitigate emergencies situations."

Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London North Centre

"Ontario commends Upper Thames River Conservation Authority for its leadership in taking important steps to reduce flood risk. Our government will continue to help municipalities and others access federal funding for flood mitigation projects through the National Disaster Mitigation Program. In this changing climate, we all have a role to play in planning for disasters in our communities, so that our most valuable assets are protected."

Bill Mauro, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs

"The federal funding through the National Disaster Mitigation Program will reduce the time needed to complete the West London Dyke reconstruction program, reducing the flood risks to more than 1200 structures behind the dyke."

Anna Hopkins, Director, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority & Councillor, City of London

"These types of investments are critical as we upgrade our infrastructure in an effort to protect our community from the changing climate and severe weather. This requires the partnership of all orders of government. Thank you for keeping Londoners safe."

Matt Brown, Mayor, City of London

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.

* Since the launch of the NDMP in 2015, approximately $47 million in funding has been committed to provinces and territories to help build safer and 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 mitigation 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 to make informed decisions around 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 that the annual economic cost of disasters around the world has increased five-fold since the 1980s. Flooding damage has accounted for 80 percent 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 that for every dollar invested there is a $4 reduction in costs of a disaster.