Liberals target $2B over next 10 years to tackle disasters linked to climate change

The Liberal government is pledging $2 billion over the next decade for large-scale projects aimed at blunting the effect of natural disasters linked to climate change.

Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, MP for Edmonton Mill Woods, announced the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund Thursday near a section of the Elbow River in Calgary that flooded in the great southern Alberta deluge of 2013.

Sohi said projects such as dams, dikes and natural wetlands will be eligible for federal dollars under the new program, which was signalled in this year’s budget.

“Climate change is having a dramatic impact on Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast,” he said.

“Floods, wildfires and winter storms are getting worse and more frequent. We understand that these disasters have a very real impact on Canadian communities.”

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has warned about increased extreme weather linked to climate change, saying the cost of claims related to natural disasters has risen to $1 billion annually in the country.

Alberta has been hit hard by disasters in recent years, including the 2013 southern Alberta flood estimated to have caused more than $5 billion in damages, with $1.9 billion in insured losses, and the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. A MacEwan University study pegged the total losses associated with that fire, including economic impact, at close to $10 billion.

Provinces and territories, municipalities and First Nations have until July 31 to submit expressions of interest.

Projects must have a minimum cost of $20 million, but funding can go to either new initiatives or refurbishing of existing infrastructure.

Sohi said a project like the Alberta government’s proposed $432-million Springbank dry dam could be eligible for money under the fund. However, the province has already made a funding request to Ottawa under a different program.

Christine Arthurs, the City of Calgary’s director of resilience and infrastructure, said the city will have a list of proposals ready for submission by the initial deadline.

One possibility for future dollars would be an upstream storage project on the Bow River.

The province recently launched a study on three proposed options: a new Glenbow reservoir, a new Morley reservoir or an expansion of the Ghost River reservoir. It is expected to be completed in about a year.