By Canadian Press

B.C. mayors dealing with flooding and wildfire damage call on feds to deliver funds

Apr 11, 2022 | 5:08 PM

VANCOUVER — British Columbia mayors whose communities were devastated by last year’s flooding and wildfires want the federal government to deliver billions of dollars in promised funding.

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun, whose community was ravaged by flooding, says he was among 28 mayors who met with federal and provincial ministers today to ask about the delivery of $5 billion from Ottawa.

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says he sees the urgency of facilitating recovery efforts in various regions and has heard the concerns of mayors.

Blair did not provide a timeline for when the money would be disbursed to communities where flooding and wildfires destroyed many homes, leaving some residents still displaced.

He says B.C. has made a preliminary submission of about $4 billion for rebuilding, but there’s some complexity involved in making decisions about prioritizing the expenditure of a limited amount of money.

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Blair says engineering studies and environmental assessments are part of the process involving “an enormous amount of work.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2022.

The Canadian Press