BC Gov News

Trish Mandewo, president, Union of B.C. Municipalities –

“Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme-weather events across our province. As a result, communities in every region are rethinking their current level of preparedness in the context of extreme heat and flooding. The grants provided through this program will support risk mitigation and climate-adaptation efforts in each of the communities funded.”

Ken Sim, mayor of Vancouver –

“Building a more resilient, equitable and healthy city in the face of climate change is one of our top priorities, and we thank the provincial government and the Union of BC Municipalities for their investment in these critical projects that strengthen our infrastructure, reduce risks and enhance our climate resilience. Specifically, the upgrades to Carnegie social operations and Kensington community centres will provide much-needed cooling and filtration in case of extreme-weather and poor air-quality events.”

Brenda Locke, mayor of Surrey –

“By upgrading our dikes along the Upper Serpentine River and reinforcing a key drainage-pump station, we will be able to protect our farmland and highways from flooding. I would like to thank the Province for the $5-million investment in Surrey to build resilience and keep our communities safe from extreme-weather impacts caused by climate change.”

Patrick Johnstone, mayor of New Westminster –

“Thank you to the Province of B.C. and the Union of BC Municipalities for supporting the City of New Westminster’s efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The CEPF funding enables us to launch phase 2 of our Urban Reforestation and Biodiversity Enhancement initiative, which aims to boost canopy coverage in those neighbourhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat.”

Linda Worley, board chair, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary –

“The CEPF grant marks a significant milestone in our journey toward strengthening a fundamental and often overlooked essential component in our Disaster Risk Reduction - Climate Adaptation process: building healthy watersheds. We’re grateful to the Province for underscoring the importance of prioritizing and restoring our rural riparian habitats, essential natural assets, and strengthening community involvement and participation. Thank you for standing alongside us as we make meaningful strides toward a safer, more sustainable future.”

Eric Woodward, mayor, Township of Langley –

“These critical slope-stabilization repairs at Munday Creek address flood damage from 2021, safeguarding homes and property in Walnut Grove. They also pave the way for the full reopening of a pedestrian bridge, enhancing accessibility and reconnecting residents with a beloved trail.”

Aaron Stone, mayor of Ladysmith –

“Holland Creek is contained within a forest park that spans the heart of the Ladysmith community. The decommissioning of the lower weir, along with upgrades and repairs to two other low-head dams, help remove the risk of erosion along the banks, improve restoration of aquatic habitat and ensure the continued enjoyment of the trail system. Additionally, funding to repair the intake weir further ensures the long-term supply of water to the town’s filtration plant, which is integral to distributing safe drinking water to the entire community, Stz’uminus First Nation and the Diamond Water Improvement District.”

Owen Bloor, planner, Doig River First Nation –

“By developing the B.C. Flood Strategy with First Nations partners, the strategy recognizes the value of Indigenous knowledge and our close relationship with the land and water. We look forward to collaborating with all levels of government on the successful implementation of the vision for the benefit of all people living in B.C. today and in future generations.”

John Ranta, mayor of Cache Creek –

“Thank you for sharing the draft of the B.C. flood strategy From Flood Risk to Resilience with the village of Cache Creek. We have been dramatically impacted by flood events in the past few years. It is certainly good to see the effort being put to help communities, such as ours, to manage future events in a proactive way.” 

Everett Baker, mayor of Grand Forks –

“The City of Grand Forks is excited to see how B.C.’s new flood strategy will build on the learnings and engagements stemming from the last seven years of flooding disasters in B.C. and beyond. Climate change is bringing increasingly extreme events to our region, far outside the expected probability and severity. We look forward to deepening our understanding and ability to address flood risk through this new flood strategy.” 

The Community Emergency Preparedness Fund is administered through the Union of BC Municipalities and funds projects that support First Nations and local governments to better prepare for disasters and reduce risks from hazards in a changing climate.

First Nations and local governments throughout British Columbia will receive approximately $39 million from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund as follows.

Funding is divided into three categories:

• Category 1 (C1): Foundational activities (risk mapping, risk assessments, planning)
• Category 2 (C2): Non-structural activities (land-use planning, community education, purchase of eligible equipment)
• Category 3 (C3): Small-scale structural activities

Cache Creek – C1: Erosion mapping and debris-mitigation plan, C2: Flood public-education program
Approved amount: $300,000

Chase – C1: Flood-mitigation plan, C2: Floodplain bylaw
Approved amount: $300,000

Clearwater – C3: Riprap reconstruction at Old North Thompson Highway Bridge
While updating and extending its floodplain mapping and flood-mitigation plan, the District of Clearwater identified a potential failure risk associated with the Old North Thompson Highway Bridge. This project is for design and reconstruction of riprap protection for the bridge abutments to repair the bridge and protect the community from flooding.
Approved amount: $3.35 million

Columbia Shuswap Regional District – C1: Update to regional geohazard-risk prioritization
Approved amount: $150,000

Colwood – C1, C2: Disaster-risk planning and reduction
Approved amount: $300,000

Courtenay – C2: Joint temporary flood-mitigation planning project
Regional partner: K’omoks First Nation
Approved amount: $268,576

Cowichan Tribes – C2: 2023-24 Mobile flood-control equipment
Approved amount: $150,000

Cowichan Valley Regional District – C1, C2: Cowichan risk-reduction policies and processes
Approved amount: $267,080

Creston – C1: Stormwater management master plan
Approved amount: $150,000

East Kootenay Regional District – C1: Hosmer and Mine Creek assessment and mitigation-options guidance project, C3: Cold Spring Creek Debris Flow Mitigation Project Phase 3
The Cold Spring Creek Debris Flow Mitigation Project in the Fairmont Hot Springs community will construct a large barrier and basin to contain debris from a 100- to 300-year flooding event and maximize the debris-storage capacity. Previous hazard and risk assessments found a high risk for property damage and loss of life from debris flow and floods from Fairmont Creek and Cold Spring Creek. This project will reduce the risks of debris flood and debris flow on the community and keep people safer.
Approved amount: $2.15 million

Fraser-Fort George Regional District – C3: Dore River erosion-mitigation project
In June 2020, a sudden flood on the Dore River outside the community of McBride was 30% greater than anything experienced in 61 years of provincial records. The flooding and erosion led to significant loss of river-front property and private rural infrastructure. This project includes installation of riprap that will protect and prevent further loss of people’s property in a subdivision along a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the river.
Approved amount: $2.94 million

Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations (Kyuquot) – C1: Risk and vulnerability assessment: natural hazards and climate change
Approved amount: $142,932

Kitimat – C1: Kitimat-Kitamaat village tsunami-hazard modelling, assessment and hazard-mapping project
Regional partner: Haisla Nation
Approved amount: $300,000

Kootenay Boundary Regional District – C1, C2, C3: Boundary region rural riparian restoration, bank stabilization and ecosystem services
This project enhances the resilience of communities and ecosystems throughout the Boundary region by increasing the scope of knowledge, awareness and capacity in riparian and watershed health. The work includes the restoration on two sites along Burrell Creek (previously impacted by a wildfire) and the Kettle River (previously impacted by flooding and erosion) to kickstart a larger watershed-restoration project. The project will significantly reduce loss of land, reduce sediment which impacts downstream communities and water systems, and improve conditions during flood and drought events.
Approved amount: $814,992

Ladysmith – C3: Holland Creek weirs decommissioning and repairs
Ladysmith has seen several flooding events on Holland Creek in the last decade. A recent dam-safety audit found two water-intake weirs in poor condition and determined that the Holland Creek Dam was at risk of failure in the event of heavy creek flows. This project involves decommissioning the lower weir, and upgrading and repairing the other weir. This builds on repairs to a third intake weir that were planned following flood damage in January 2020. The repairs and decommissioning of the weirs will mitigate or remove the risk of erosion, and the risk of damage to downstream infrastructure, such as the Highway 1 crossing. Decommissioning the lower weir will also return the creek profile to near the original condition, allowing better fish passage and aquatic habitat.
Approved amount: $2.75 million

Langley Township – C1: Bertrand Creek floodplain mapping, C3: East and West Munday Creek slope stabilization
Langley Township will complete slope-stabilization repairs at three locations along East Munday Creek and West Munday Creek in Walnut Grove that were impacted during the November 2021 flooding. This work will mitigate the risk of further slope destabilization that could impact nearby homes and private property. The East Munday Creek repairs will also provide stabilization to a pedestrian bridge that will allow a section of a trail to fully reopen to the public.
Approved amount: $1.15 million

Leq’a:mel First Nation – C2: Weather station and water-level sensors
Approved amount: $100,326

Maple Ridge – C1: Climate-related multi-hazard risk assessment
Approved amount: $150,000

New Westminster – C3: Phase 2: Urban reforestation to save lives and mitigate the impacts of climate change
New Westminster’s Urban Biodiversity Enhancement initiative was launched in response to several fatalities due to extreme heat in June 2021. Phase 2 sees the installation of 532 trees on city streets to provide canopy cover for vulnerable people and reduce the impact of heat in high-risk blocks and keep people safer during extreme heat. Phase 1 consisted of the planting of 2,200 trees in vulnerable neighbourhoods. The target is to plant 8,500 trees on city property by 2030.
Approved amount: $1 million

Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District – C1: Hazards, risk and vulnerability assessment
Approved amount: $150,000

Oliver – C1: Reducing the risks from future water disasters, improving infrastructure along Wolfcub Creek
Approved amount: $45,000

Osoyoos – C1: Flood-response plan
Approved amount: $150,000

Parksville – C1: Arrowsmith dam inundation study
Approved amount: $42,402

Pauquachin First Nation – C3: Coastal erosion project
The Pauquachin First Nation’s lands on the Saanich Peninsula have suffered major shoreline erosion since the mid-1960s, with increasing frequency in the past five years, impacting the community through the destruction of habitat and traditional food sources, and the removal of artifacts and ancestral remains. This project rebuilds 220 metres of shoreline to pre-erosion levels to protect the cultural heritage of the shoreline, improve biodiversity, increase food sovereignty and promote climate-change resilience.
Approved amount: $2.33 million

Penticton – C1: Hazard, risk and vulnerability assessment
Approved amount: $115,000

Port Moody – C1, C2: Coastal flood-management strategy
Approved amount: $300,000

Pouce Coupe – C3: Wastewater treatment lagoon dam toe bank stability - construction phase
Slope failures around the outfall pipe at the Pouce Coupe’s wastewater-treatment plant on the Pouce Coupe River have occurred during flood events over the past 10 years. Repairs to the outfall were completed in 2019 and 2022, along with improved geotechnical design to reduce the likelihood that the outfall would be disrupted in the future. This phase continues the implementation of the geotechnical design and adds riprap armouring to the riverbank. This work will help to resist flood erosion and provide the berm with flood protection for up to a 100-year flood event.
Approved amount: $2.33 million

Richmond – C1: Nature-based flood protection solutions assessment; C3: Dike rehabilitation project
The dike rehabilitation project involves structural rearmouring and replacement of failed riprap along sections of city dike in the Terra Nova area and along the 21000 block of River Road in east Richmond. Since the city’s entire perimeter dike performs as a continuous system, these projects will protect and keep everyone in Richmond safer from flooding.
Approved amount: $2.65 million

Songhees Nation – C1: Lekwungen Nation’s Rock Bay planning project – sea-level rise adaptation, biodiversity recovery and community resiliency
Approved amount:  $149,922

Squamish Nation – C1, C2: Squamish Nation disaster-risk planning and reduction
Approved amount: $292,403

Strathcona Regional District – C1: Update Oyster River floodplain map and develop a hazard, risk and vulnerability assessment; C2: Our path forward through understanding, balance and expression of culture
Regional Partners: City of Campbell River, Nuchatlaht First Nation, Village of Tahsis, Village of Zeballos
Approved amount: $400,992

Surrey – C3: Upper Serpentine River drainage-resiliency upgrades
This project addresses two vulnerabilities in response to the increased frequency and magnitude of flooding on the Upper Serpentine River. Work at Fry’s Corner drainage-pump station will prevent water seepage and undermining of the pump station and the associated dike. Also, raising and widening the Latimer Creek dike and tie-ins to the Serpentine River will safeguard important transportation corridors and agricultural lands, and provide protection against a flood that has a chance of happening once in 200 years.
Approved amount: $4.97 million 

Thompson-Nicola Regional District – C1: Water-system drought risk and infrastructure resiliency assessment
Approved amount: $146,200

Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc – C1, C2: Flood-risk assessment and adaptation plan
Approved amount: $300,000

Tseshaht First Nation – C1: Hazard, risk and vulnerability assessment; Emergency-management plan and emergency-response plan
Approved amount: $41,262

Vancouver – C1: Fraser River flood-mitigation plan; C2: Portable air conditioning for residents in non-market housing; C3: Building upgrades for safe centres at Carnegie and Kensington community centres 
The Carnegie and Kensington community centres will be upgraded to operate as safe centres for vulnerable people during extreme weather, including heat and poor air-quality events. Existing mechanical equipment will be replaced with heat-pump systems that provide cooling capabilities, increased air filtration to improve indoor air quality and use less energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Approved amount: $5.24 million

Vernon – C3: Polson Park naturalization
This naturalization project will make Vernon Creek within Polson Park more resilient to flooding, improve people’s safety, protect park infrastructure, and restore riparian and fish habitat. Four undersized bridges that present a flood risk will be removed and replaced with one modern bridge. In collaboration with the Okanagan Indian Band and regulatory authorities, fish-spawning habitat and native trees and shrubs will be incorporated.
Approved amount: $2.52 million

Warfield – C1: Trail Creek floodplain mapping
Approved amount: $150,000