The provincial government is inviting input into its new emergency management regulations and the Cariboo Regional District wasted no time in drafting a series of recommendations.
At the most recent meeting of the CRD’s Emergency Preparedness Committee on Oct. 12, committee members reviewed a series of questions released by the province as part of its ongoing revision of B.C.’s outdated emergency response apparatus.
Margo Wagner, chair of the CRD, said the district will definitely have a submission by the Dec. 31 deadline “and hopefully it will have some impact on moving forward,” she told the 100 Mile Free Press.
“The main thing is that a lot of the stuff in that new act is more work and more responsibility for regional districts, especially. And in the (new Emergency and Disaster Management) Act itself, there is no guarantee of money coming for those extra costs,” Wagner said. “It will be a lot of money.”
The emergency management act, introduced on Oct. 3, is meant to address modern risks and realities, including climate change. It covers four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
The province is gathering input on two new regulations that will come under the guise of the new legislation and, to that end, will host a series of virtual workshops next month. The province has also invited written input from individuals, communities, First Nations and small businesses.
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said B.C. received the highest number of applications in the history of the province’s Disaster Financial Assistance program after the atmospheric river event in 2021 that caused devastating floods to Merritt and the Fraser Valley.
The last several years have been an onslaught of climate-related disasters, including the 2017 wildfires that forced the evacuation of 100 Mile House and much of the Cariboo, as well as the evacuations of tens of thousands throughout B.C. every summer since.
“We know the regulation has gaps that we need to address to better support people as they recover from emergencies,” Ma said in a statement.
She urged people to share their experiences as the provincial government revamps the programs that have been criticized as outdated and ineffective for today.
“By participating in this engagement, British Columbians will have a say about how they can best be supported when they require assistance recovering from an emergency event,” Ma said.
Among the changes the province hopes to have in place by the next wildfire season, formerly known as summer, a post-emergency financial assistance regulation will replace the existing Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation.
The province is also revamping emergency management provisions for local authorities.
Wagner said she and other municipal leaders have spoken to Ma, Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston, who is responsible for BC Wildfire Service, about their concerns and have been assured by provincial ministers that there will be funds coming to help municipalities address these new responsibilities.
The lingering concern for rural regions like the Cariboo is how those funds will be distributed, Wagner said.
“If they do a broad sweep for regional districts based on population, that’s going to not work for us,” she said.
The Cariboo district has a population of about 62,000, according to the 2016 census, spread over more than 80,000 square kilometres.
“We have a low population base but a tremendous landmass that we have to try to get all of this stuff done on,” she said. “So that’s one of the concerns we have, is how is this money going to be apportioned out to make it fair for regional districts that have to travel?” “
There are 15 First Nations communities in the district, many of them remote, she added. For example, a trip for Wagner, who lives in the South Cariboo, to Ulkatcho, a Dakelh community at Anahim Lake in the Chilcotin, is a seven-and-a-half-hour drive one-way.
The province also appointed a 14-member task force composed of experts in emergency and wildfire management to provide recommendations on enhancing emergency preparedness but that task force has no representation from rural or remote communities, Wagner pointed out. This is the only opportunity they have for input into the process of revising B.C.’s disaster response, she said.
“I know Minister Ma is saying ‘We will reach out,’ and we’ll see,” Wagner said.
The new act will likely be passed this fall. There have been some concerns raised about the legislation but it does specify the new law is to be reviewed in five years, which is good, Wagner said.
She commended Ma on her response to the seemingly endless stream of emergencies and disasters that have unfolded in B.C. in recent years.
“She’s been phenomenal in these emergencies,” Wagner said.
“The fact that we’re getting the opportunity to submit and answer some of the questions the province has asked is a good thing. We don’t always get that opportunity. So you know, that’s a good thing. I just hope that you know the task force understands the rural and the rural remote aspect of this because it’s so different down in the Lower Mainland and on the island. It’s still very, very different.”
