Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Federal government pegs $5 billion for B.C. floods

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Dec, 2021 11:08 PM
  • Federal government pegs $5 billion for B.C. floods

British Columbia's finance minister says the federal government's $5 billion contribution to flood disaster recovery efforts in the province is a historic amount of cash that reflects the extreme nature of the disaster.

However, Selina Robinson said Tuesday in a statement the funding is an initial provision of federal dollars and assessing the full costs of rebuilding remains an ongoing process.

"As the province continues the work of assessing the impacts of the recent natural disaster, it is reassuring to know we have a commitment from our federal partners that their support will continue as we move from response to recovery and rebuilding," said Robinson.

The dollar figure was revealed in federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's fiscal update released Tuesday.

Freeland's update showed that the federal budget deficit for this year is on track to hit $144.5 billion, below the government's previous forecast of a $154.7 billion deficit.

Record amounts of rainfall last month caused widespread floods and slides in southern B.C. that crippled transportation routes, flooded farmland and forced thousands to leave their homes and communities.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has called the floods and slides the most costly weather event in B.C.'s history and estimated insured damage at $450 million, but said the bill will be much higher because much of the damage occurred in high-risk areas where flood insurance was not available.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier John Horgan announced the creation of a joint committee of cabinet ministers to deal with the flood repair and recovery earlier this month.

Horgan said it was premature at that time to make a special funding request of the federal government, but Trudeau said the federal government will be there for B.C.

The B.C. government has not provided a dollar estimate of the flood damages and subsequent repairs and rebuilds other than to say they will be costly.

Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne said $5 billion is a large amount of money, but the repair and recovery work facing the province will be expensive.

"Five billion dollars for the amount of devastation the province has witnessed, I don't know if that's going to be enough," he said.

Floodwaters damaged many businesses and homes in Princeton, he said.

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun said earlier he estimated the flood damage to agricultural operations and homes in his community was likely in the billions of dollars and could take years for some people to recover from the losses.

Opposition Liberal Leader Shirley Bond said it's "an encouraging sign the federal government recognizes the depth of loss in our province."

 

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. checking to ensure accurate vaccine records

B.C. checking to ensure accurate vaccine records
British Columbia health officials say COVID-19 immunization records entered into the provincial immunization registry that are suspected to be fraudulent are being reported to law enforcement.

B.C. checking to ensure accurate vaccine records

Metro Vancouver got more than a dusting of snow on Tuesday

Metro Vancouver got more than a dusting of snow on Tuesday
Winter weather is made its way back into southern B.C. with Environment Canada issuing heavy snowfall warnings for several areas. Snow fell right across Metro Vancouver for a good chunk of the day Tuesday, bringing up to 20 centimetres of snow in some areas.

Metro Vancouver got more than a dusting of snow on Tuesday

Omicron prompts reduction of Liberal MPs in House

Omicron prompts reduction of Liberal MPs in House
The federal government is vastly reducing the number of Liberal MPs present in the House of Commons due to the lightning spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. In addition, government House leader Mark Holland says all regional and national Liberal caucus meetings Wednesday will be entirely virtual.

Omicron prompts reduction of Liberal MPs in House

519 COVID19 cases for Tuesday

519 COVID19 cases for Tuesday
There are 3,171 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 218,001 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 191 individuals are in hospital and 81 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

519 COVID19 cases for Tuesday

Highlights from Freeland’s fiscal update

Highlights from Freeland’s fiscal update
The cost of resettling Afghan refugees in Canada is expected to be $1.3 billion over six years, starting in the current fiscal year, and $66.6 million in future years. Last week, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said he expects it will take two years to fulfil the government's promise to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.

Highlights from Freeland’s fiscal update

B.C. detects 44 cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron

B.C. detects 44 cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron
The cases are included in new infection modelling released today that also shows overall COVID-19 cases rising on Vancouver Island, driven by outbreaks at the University of Victoria and a religious gathering in the northern part of the island.    

B.C. detects 44 cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron

PrevNext