$1M project aims to help cities prepare for extreme weather

BRACEBRIDGE, ONT.— Ontario is launching a $1-million pilot project to help communities protect against effects of extreme weather, after several in central and eastern parts of the province saw flooding this spring.

The government has already activated a disaster recovery assistance program for them, which helps cover emergency expenses and the costs to repair or replace essential property not covered by insurance after a natural disaster.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark announced Thursday that a new pilot project will give municipalities that qualify up to 15 per cent above the estimated cost of rebuilding public infrastructure that’s been damaged.

“We want to help municipalities build back better — to flood-damaged roads, bridges and other infrastructure — to a higher standard, so it can better withstand extreme weather and we know that some municipalities have limited financial resources to improve local infrastructure,” he said in a statement.

“By not having to rebuild the same washed-out road or bridge again and again, communities will save money over the long-term.”

The funds would allow municipalities to make their infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, with measures such as raising roads, improving the footing of bridges or increasing the size of catch basins.

The program was activated for residents in Bracebridge, Huntsville, Pembroke, Renfrew County, Ottawa, Clarence-Rockland, Champlain and Alfred and Plantagenet.

Bracebridge Mayor Graydon Smith said improving the quality of municipal infrastructure damaged by extreme weather saves time and money.