Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone released the following statement on highway operations to deal with current flood conditions facing the Chetwynd and Dawson Creek areas of Northern British Columbia:

Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) is now available to eligible British Columbians in the Peace River Regional District area, including Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Fort St John, Hudson’s Hope, Pouce Coupe, Taylor, Tumbler Ridge and the First Nations communities of Saulteau and West Moberly who may have been impacted from the major flooding that occurred this past week.

The ministry is asking those planning to travel to the South Peace Region along Highway 97 to be aware of closures along this route due to flooding in the area and to check DriveBC.ca and TranBC.ca websites for up to date information.

As part of the public-safety funding announced in the 2016 provincial budget, the Province is committing $1.6 million in funding toward a flood mitigation project in the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver that will protect an important, business area and parkland.

To better understand and mitigate the impacts of flooding along the Fraser River and southern coast as identified in Phase One of the Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy, the Province of British Columbia is working collaboratively with all partners in the strategy and with the Fraser Basin Council by committing $1 million in funding to assist with implementation of Phase Two.

As part of the public-safety funding announced in the 2016 provincial budget, the Province is committing $1.47 million in funding toward a flood-mitigation project near Fairmont Hot Springs that will protect the important economic area from flood damage.

To better prepare British Columbians in the event of an emergency and ensure the basic needs of citizens are met, the Province is funding a series of collaborative projects to increase British Columbia’s capacity and capabilities to mitigate and manage emergencies.

The Dry Creek Improvement Project in Port Alberni is complete, thanks to over $2.7 million in funding split equally between the Government of Canada’s Building Canada Fund – Communities Component, the Province, and the City of Port Alberni.