Government of Canada Funds Flood Mitigation Project in Manitoba

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct. 12 -- Public Safety Canada issued the following news release:

Today, Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley, on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced $794,520 in federal funding over three years to the province of Manitoba under the National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) to better plan for and prevent the effects of flooding.

This funding will support the flood mapping of three priority watersheds in the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba basins, a project valued at approximately $1.6 million. Identifying the boundaries of a potential flood event is critical to support informed decisions and investments to reduce the impacts of flooding on communities.

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 effects 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 project announced today will help the Government of Manitoba better prepare for and respond to flooding."

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

"I welcome this funding to the province of Manitoba as it will help in preventing and mitigating flooding in our communities and enrich the province's effort in managing emergencies."

Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley

"Manitobans have been weathering major floods since the early 1800s and we have emerged as a leader in predicting and managing floodwaters. The funding announced today will help expand the mapping of flood prone areas of the province to better predict and prepare for what nature sends our way."

The Honourable Ron Schuler, Minister of Manitoba Infrastructure

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 cost-shares up to 50 per cent of eligible expenses for provincial projects and up to 75 per cent of eligible expenses for territorial projects.

* 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 per cent 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.