OTTAWA, ON, March 6, 2025 /CNW/ - In 2024, British Columbia saw over 1,600 wildfires burn approximately one million hectares of land. Between April 21 and October 7, 2024, over seven thousand residents were evacuated from their homes. Multiple residences, provincial infrastructure, provincial recreation sites and trails, and range fencing were destroyed.
Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced payments of over $35 million to British Columbia through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, to assist with response and recovery costs resulting from the wildfires in 2024.
When a large-scale natural disaster happens, the Government of Canada can provide financial assistance to provinces and territories through the DFAA program. Through this support, the Government of Canada covers eligible disaster response and recovery expenses that have been submitted by the province or territory and that exceed what they could reasonably be expected to bear on their own.
Extreme weather events and natural disasters are a growing threat to the safety and economic stability of Canadian communities. The Government of Canada has and will continue to work closely with the Government of British Columbia to respond to and recover from disastrous events such as the recent wildfires.
Quotes
"In the last few years, we have seen the effects of climate change increase the frequency of disasters. This funding will help support British Columbia with their recovery and rebuilding efforts, as we work together to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Prioritizing our resiliency towards recurring disasters will help strengthen our adaptability and our ability to better recover."
- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
"Wildfires last summer impacted many people and communities throughout British Columbia. This funding from the Government of Canada for damage to uninsurable infrastructure from large-scale climate emergencies is critical to helping support B.C.'s response and recovery and our ongoing work to build more resilient communities."
- The Honourable Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness for British Columbia
Quick Facts
- In Canada, emergencies are managed first at the municipal level and if assistance is needed, the municipality requests it from the province or territory. If the emergency escalates further, provinces or territories can get help from the federal government.
- Eligible expenses under the DFAA include, but are not limited to, evacuation operations, restoring public works and infrastructure to their pre-disaster condition, as well as restoration or replacement of individuals' uninsurable principal dwellings, restoration of small businesses, and farmsteads and mitigation measures to reduce the future vulnerability of repaired or replaced infrastructure.
- Federal government payments are calculated on a per capita basis and cost-shared with the province or territory. Under the current DFAA program, the amount cost-shared is determined by an established formula and ranges from 50 to 90 percent of the costs of eligible expenses.
- Under the DFAA, provinces and territories have six months following the end of a disaster event to request financial assistance from the federal government. Once an event has been designated under the DFAA, provinces and territories have up to five years to submit their final claim.
- A request for payment under the DFAA is processed immediately following receipt of the required documentation of provincial and territorial expenditures and a review by federal auditors. Advance payments or interim payments, up to 50 or 60 percent of the projected federal share, can also be requested within the five-year timeframe.
- On January 29, 2025, Minister Sajjan announced additional details on the upcoming modernization of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, which is anticipated to come into effect on April 1, 2025.
- For eligible disasters occurring on or after April 1, 2025, the modernized DFAA program ensures that in the face of increasing disaster costs and impacts to Canadians and all levels of government, financial assistance to provinces and territories will not only be delivered quickly and efficiently in the aftermath of a disaster, but also provide:
- Increased investments in strategic disaster mitigation and building back better to minimize disaster impacts on communities and the risk of future disasters;
- Incentives for risk reduction, pre-disaster planning, and improved hazard awareness to reduce the risks and impacts of disasters;
- Expanded support for people hardest hit by the impacts of significant disasters.
- The DFAA Guidelines for the modernized program are now posted, along with the DFAA Guidelines for eligible disasters occurring before April 1, 2025 (the former program). Since it can take a number of years after a disaster for final payments under the DFAA to be processed, the former program Guidelines will remain active until those events are fully closed and finalized. The DFAA Guidelines for the modernized program will be finalized when they come into effect on April 1, 2025.
- Since the inception of the program in 1970, the DFAA has been a reliable source of support for provinces and territories. As of November 2024, the Government of Canada has provided over $9 billion in post disaster assistance to help provinces and territories with the costs of response and returning infrastructure and property to pre-disaster condition.
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Contacts: Emily Heffernan, Director of Communications, Office of the President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]
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