The impacts of natural disasters across Canada produce a significant economic, social and physical strain on individuals, communities and all levels of government. It is clear that a reactive approach to emergency management is not sufficient. That is why the Government of Canada is shifting focus toward a proactive, sustainable approach that includes investments in disaster prevention and mitigation to reduce the impact of these events on Canadians.
Prevention and mitigation refer to proactive steps to eliminate, or reduce, the risks of disasters. These activities are the most effective means of reducing disaster costs. Prevention and mitigation strategies benefit individuals and communities and help to secure critical infrastructure.
In Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government of Canada committed to investing $200 million over five years, beginning in 2015-16, to develop a National Disaster Mitigation Program.
After reviewing national trends in disaster frequency, severity, and costs, it was determined that floods are the biggest draw on the Government of Canada’s natural disaster recovery resources, including the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA). Accordingly, the National Disaster Mitigation Program will prioritize measures aimed at identifying the risks and mitigating the impacts of floods.
This program will help to reduce flood-related costs for all levels of government. It will also contribute to establishing conditions for the introduction of a residential flood insurance market in Canada.
Through this program, provinces and territories will be able to apply for cost-sharing for flood prevention and mitigation projects. Public Safety Canada will work with provinces, territories and other partners on the assessment criteria for projects funded by the NDMP. The NDMP will be a merit based process where projects may be selected using objective and measurable criteria such as: risk assessments; project readiness; and return on investment for proposed projects.
Eligible projects could include both non-structural investments, such as flood-mapping and forecasting, and small-scale structural investments, such as retrofitting or modernizing existing buildings to improve resiliency.
This program is in addition to the funding available through the New Building Canada Fund. Announced in Economic Action Plan 2013, the $14 billion fund provides investments to support significant infrastructure projects across Canada as identified by the provinces and territories, which can include mitigation infrastructure to help prevent natural disasters. Details include:
- $4-billion National Infrastructure Component (NIC) that will support projects of national significance; and
- $10-billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component (PTIC) for projects of national, regional and local significance. Of this amount, $1 billion is dedicated to projects in communities with a population of fewer than 100,000 residents.
The Government of Canada will continue to work closely with provinces, territories and stakeholders to finalize the NDMP program design. Together, we aim to empower individuals, communities and governments to increase their resilience and reduce disaster risks and impacts.