Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and Fin Donnelly, Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture, have released the following statement in celebration of B.C. Wild Salmon Day:

Thanks to a $7.5 million top up to the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF), seven more local governments and First Nations communities have had structural flood mitigation projects approved, helping them reduce the impacts of flooding.

The risk of spring flooding is elevated in B.C. due to an above normal snowpack.

A new economic recovery investment will create 750 jobs to restore watersheds and wetlands throughout the province.

Local governments and First Nations in 28 communities have been approved to receive their share of more than $1 million in provincial emergency preparedness funding to support evacuation route planning.

Two Vancouver Island communities have been approved to receive their share of more than $8.5 million in provincial emergency preparedness funding.

On Nov. 26, I was sworn in as B.C.’s new minister of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development. I was also honoured to return to my role as minister responsible for the Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power Corporation and last, but definitely not least, the Columbia River Treaty.

Local governments and First Nations in B.C. stand to benefit from the renewal of a flood mitigation funding program.

The Province is accepting applications from local governments, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit organizations for nearly $136 million in infrastructure grants to help communities develop resilience in response to COVID-19.