TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Now more than ever, communities need help adapting to the frequent and intensifying weather events caused by climate change. Reducing the impact of natural disasters such as flooding is critical to keeping Canadian families safe, protecting local businesses and supporting a strong economy and the middle class.
Salma Zahid, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, announced funding for much-needed culvert rehabilitation across the city.
The project consists of rehabilitating six culverts that have been identified as critically important to help manage a 100-year storm event, reducing the probability of flooding and improving the resiliency of the City's culverts crossing the watershed. Construction work on these six culverts will strengthen their integrity and up-sizing these structures will reduce the risk of flooding and flood damage for residents.
Once completed, this project will help reduce the effects of flooding events for almost 3 million residents, protect municipal infrastructure, and reduce the impact on the environment caused by heavy rain and snow melt. This project will reduce the number of residents without essential services by 91% and the directly affected people by 75%.
The Government of Canada is investing over $8.7 million through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, and the City of Toronto is contributing more than $13.1 million.
Quotes
"Extreme weather events are becoming more and more common in Canadian towns and cities. It is time to take concrete steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change to ensure a safe, prosperous future for our families, our businesses, and the environment. The culvert rehabilitation project will help better protect Toronto residents against flooding and reduce recovery costs and property damage."
Salma Zahid, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Quick facts
- The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion, 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts.
- DMAF is part of the federal government's Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, which is providing more than $180 billion over 12 years for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities.
- Investing in green infrastructure that helps communities cope with the intensifying effects of climate change is an integral part of Canada's transition to a more resilient, low-carbon economy, which is among the commitments made under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
- Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, is the government's plan to create more good well-paying jobs, put homeownership within reach of more Canadians, help working people get the training they need to succeed, support seniors, and lay the foundation for national pharmacare.
- With many municipalities across Canada facing serious infrastructure deficits, Budget 2019 proposes a one-time transfer of $2.2 billion through the federal Gas Tax Fund to address short-term priorities in municipalities and First Nations communities.
Associated links
Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/dmaf-faac/index-eng.html
Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html
Federal infrastructure investments in Ontario: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/on-eng.html
Investing in Canada plan project map: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html
Budget 2019: https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/home-accueil-en.html
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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada
Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 613-697-3778, [email protected]; Eric Holmes, Strategic Communications, City of Toronto, 416-629-4891, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, [email protected]
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