Whereas local governments and other local authorities in rural British Columbia are under-resourced to effectively respond to ever-increasing climate related disasters; And whereas the elected officials and staff of local governments and other local authorities are often themselves personally and tragically impacted by these disasters; And whereas the emergency management program provides provincially administered funding for on-the-ground efforts that largely rely on the victims of the disaster to be responsible for disaster response and recovery: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of BC offer on-the-ground provision of the duties assigned to local governments under section 6 of the Emergency Program Act, for local governments that opt-in, to ensure that adequate resources are always available and can be dynamically allocated throughout the province based on capacity and need.
Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness The Province is committed to supporting local governments in their efforts to respond to and recover from disasters, as well as their efforts to reduce the risk of disasters. Section 6 of the Emergency Program Act requires a local authority to create local emergency plans and to establish and maintain an emergency management organization. It also provides that a local authority is responsible for the direction and control of the local authoritys emergency response. The Emergency Program Act establishes similar duties and authority for the Province. This design, within which multiple governing entities have duties and authority, will be maintained in the modernized emergency management legislation expected to be introduced in spring 2023 and reflects the fact that emergencies are co-managed in BC. The Province partners with communities and the federal government to invest in disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation through several funding programs that support local governments and First Nations. These programs support communities in understanding their risks and taking action to reduce disaster risks, including preparedness and disaster mitigation. Emergency Management BC encourages communities to apply for the relevant disaster risk reduction funding to support their communities to reduce the risks of natural and climate-related hazards in their community. There have also been efforts to modernize the Compensation Disaster Financial Assistance Regulations and the provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program since spring 2022. The revised regulations allowed for greater eligibility for small businesses, increased limit to assistance, and greater provincial cost-sharing with local authority infrastructure.