Canada opens new disaster funding as wildfires, floods take toll
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On July 26, 2021, the federal government announced $1.37 billion in new infrastructure resilience funding to strengthen stormwater systems, restore wetlands and protect against dangers posed to municipal governments by climate change such as flooding.
The new round of opportunities under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund will be split fairly equally over 12 years between large-scale projects with price tags over $20 million and smaller-scale projects. The total eligible cost for the project must be at least $1 million.
To date, over $1.9 billion has been announced through the fund for 69 large-scale infrastructure projects that will help protect communities across the country from the threats of climate change. The majority of applicants has been municipal governments, although there have also been some provincial and Indigenous applications.
In Alberta the fund has been used to assist with the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir project, which recently received federal approval following an environmental assessment of the flood diversion channel.
The fund has previously supported Ontario projects like remediating and enhancing the resilience of Toronto’s ravines, waterfront shoreline structures and tree canopy against erosion caused by flooding. In B.C., a number of coastal flood protection projects for cities such as Surrey and Delta have been underway.
Wildfire prevention project applications are likely in the works as smoke from fires in British Columbia, as well as northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwest Ontario, has resulted in special air quality advisories across the country where temperatures continue to soar. Access details at:
