The B.C. government is providing $750,000 to the Fraser Basin Council to support and explore flood management strategies.

“The work to be undertaken by the Fraser Basin Council will keep British Columbians safe and help people throughout the province be more prepared and responsive to floods,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operation and Rural Development.

The council will use the funding to fully explore a broad range of issues that affect flood management activities in British Columbia. This will include looking at opportunities to strengthen partnerships and collaboration among all levels of government and stakeholders.

“We look forward to delivering information, research and analysis helpful to the Province of British Columbia and to B.C. communities as they focus on reducing flood risks and managing flood response and recovery plans,” said Steve Litke, senior program manager, Fraser Basin Council. “Floods know no boundaries and can have serious, wide-reaching consequences. Our aim is to support all orders of government in sharing information and co-ordinating their flood management work.”

The Fraser Basin Council will evaluate the approaches to flood management throughout the province, including river and flood forecasting services, assessing and managing flood risk, and emergency services for response and recovery. The work will consider how these approaches respond to current and future flood risks and provide recommendations to inform provincial flood strategies. The Province will provide input and monitoring of the funds to ensure accountability on meeting the desired outcomes.

The funding responds to a number of recommendations in Chief Maureen Chapman and George Abbott’s report, Addressing the New Normal: 21st Century Disaster Management in British Columbia, which underscored the impact of climate change on the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

The Fraser Basin Council is a charitable non-profit society that brings people together to advance sustainability in the Fraser Basin and throughout British Columbia. Established in 1997, the council is a collaboration of four orders of government (federal, provincial, local and First Nations), along with the private sector and civil society.