B.C.’s wildfire and flood response under review
Former Liberal cabinet minister and Indigenous leader appointed to lead independent review
Daily Courier Staff and The Canadian Press
Aformer Liberal cabinet minister and an Indigenous leader have been appointed to lead an independent review of British Columbia’s response to this year’s wildfire and flood disasters that forced thousands from their homes.
Premier John Horgan said Monday the report by George Abbott and Maureen Chapman is due in April and will include recommendations to enhance government response strategies in time for next year’s flood and wildfire season.
“I wouldn’t have asked these people, nor would they have accepted the job, if they thought this was going to be a report that gathered dust on a shelf somewhere in the parliamentary library,” said Horgan.
“We can take their findings and apply them to the upcoming fire season and flood season to make sure we are as prepared as we can be.”
Wildfire evacuation orders this summer affected more than 65,000 people across B.C., and firefighting costs topped $564 million.
“What we want to do is make sure we are modernizing our processes so we can do better next year and the year after that and the year after that,” said Horgan.
The province declared a state of emergency because of the fires in July that lasted 10 weeks, the longest in B.C.’s history.
Prior to the wildfire season, flooding wreaked havoc in the Okanagan, damaging homes, closing roads and littering beaches with debris.
States of emergency were declared across the Okanagan as a result of significant flooding caused by rapid snowmelt and heavy rainfall, and people up and down the valley were on evacuation orders and alerts.
Cleanup and repairs from the flooding cost around $10 million in Kelowna, $5.2 million in West Kelowna, $1.7 million in Lake Country and more than $620,000 in Penticton.
“This is a hugely important issue to people and I’m very much honoured to be asked to be a co-lead as we look at the issues around this and try to understand them, try to learn from them,” said Abbott.
Chapman, a hereditary chief from the Skawahlook First Nation in the Chilliwack-Hope area, said the fires and floods damaged many Indigenous communities.
“This is definitely something that has impacted everyone in B.C., particularly some of our First Nations communities,” she said.
The review is intended to complement the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC evaluations that are currently underway.
It will be the first major examination of response programs since 2003 when about 2,500 fires destroyed more than 300 homes and businesses.
Former Manitoba premier Gary Filmon’s report released in 2004 called on the government and municipalities to fireproof forests around communities and suggested the province had a one-time opportunity to implement strict fire reduction initiatives through policies and legislation.