Parliamentary Secretary Naqvi and MP Zuberi tour 2019 spring flooding sites and provide update on mitigation efforts

PIERREFONDS-ROXBORO, QC, May 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Flooding continues to be the most frequent and costly disaster in Canada, causing an average of over $1 billion in direct damage to homes, property, and infrastructure annually. The Government of Canada has put in place a number of measures to improve the resiliency of Canadians in the face of the rising frequency and costs of flood events.

Today, Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen's Privy Council and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, and Sameer Zuberi, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds—Dollard, met with members of the community, business owners, volunteers and municipal leaders to discuss the impacts of the floods in Pierrefonds in 2019.

As part of the day's activities, PS Naqvi and MP Zuberi visited 3 Soeurs BOL, a family-run restaurant that continuously contributes to the community through food donation in the aftermath of floods and other emergency events. They also visited the On Rock Community Services Centre, where they met with the Founder and President and discussed how the organization is a staple in the community through their help and support to those who need it.

PS Naqvi and MP Zuberi also met with Stéphane Côté, Mayor of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, and Dimitrios Jim Bies, Mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

Discussions focused on the impacts of the flooding in these communities in 2017 and 2019, the local mitigation work underway in preparation for this year's flood season, as well as Emergency Preparedness Week. Emergency Preparedness Week runs May 1-7, 2022, and this year's theme is "Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything!".

Quotes

"The communities of Pierrefonds and L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève showed incredible resilience in the wake of significant flooding in 2017 and 2019. Today, as part of Emergency Preparedness Week, we were able to witness first-hand the strong partnership between volunteers, businesses, community organizations, and local governments as they build back stronger."

- Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen's Privy Council and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre

"People living and working across Pierrefonds-Dollard have stepped up to be there for each other in the face of floods over the past years. I was happy to be joined by my colleague Parliamentary Secretary Naqvi to show him the work that communities here on the West Island are doing to keep each other safe. We were also pleased to update on the flood preparation efforts our government is working on across the country to support our communities, now and in the future."

- Sameer Zuberi, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds-Dollard

Quick Facts

• Emergency Preparedness Week is in its 27^th year and happens annually the first week of May.
• This week-long public education effort is led by Public Safety in collaboration with partners at various orders of federal, provincial, territorial governments, as well as Indigenous, non-governmental and private organizations.
• As noted in the first Minister of Emergency Preparedness' mandate letter, the Government of Canada is exercising leadership and coordinating efforts to strengthen emergency management in Canada and to ensure a strategic, integrated, and proactive approach across all hazards. This work includes continued collaboration with provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous partners.
• Since 2019, the Government of Canada has moved forward on a number of initiatives, in collaboration with all orders of government and stakeholders, to improve resiliency and flood mitigation. This includes:
• continuing to work with federal partners to implement the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada, which was developed in partnership with provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, municipalities, and the emergency management community to help Canada better prevent/mitigate, predict, prepare for, respond to, and recover from weather-related emergencies and disasters;
• a review of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program to ensure there is an updated, sustainable system available to provinces and territories for disaster recovery and for the safety and well-being of Canadians; 
• integrating climate resilience into the National Building Code and conducting research to factor climate resilience into the design of buildings;
• funding projects through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, delivered by Infrastructure Canada, to help communities better withstand the potential impacts of natural hazards such as floods
• advancing work on a National Risk Profile (NRP), which is a strategic national risk and capability assessment that uses scientific evidence and stakeholder input to inform prioritization, decision-making and federal investments. The NRP includes a hazard-specific stream focused on flooding, which coordinates the development of whole-of-government flood risk policy and direction on activities related to flood risk awareness, engagement and education.
• setting up a Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation to examine options for low-cost residential flood insurance to residents of high risk areas. The Task Force will also consider options to assist homeowners with potential relocation for those at the highest risk of repeat flooding. In addition to Public Safety Canada (PS) and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Task Force includes representatives from federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments, and the insurance industry. It began its work in January 2021 and its report is expected to be available in Summer 2022.
• investing $63.8M over three years for the Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program to complete flood hazard mapping of higher-risk areas and to make this flood hazard information accessible, in partnership with provinces and territories, and to advance consistent best practices and flood mapping approaches across Canadian jurisdictions. Natural Resources Canada is leading the collaboration with provinces and territories to complete flood maps for higher-risk areas in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Public Safety Canada

Associated Links

• Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation
• Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA)
• DFAA Program Review
• Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Towards a Resilient 2030
• Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Emergency Management Strategy Interim Action Plan 2021-22
• Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program 

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

Annie Cullinan, Press Secretary, Office of the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]