Whereas British Columbia has experienced an unprecedented number of wildfires throughout many communities in the province, with this trend expected to continue; And whereas FireSmart initiatives help ensure the protection of homes, public safety, and the forest: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the federal and provincial governments and the Insurance Bureau of Canada to provide incentive options for property owners and agricultural land owners to reduce the amount of forest fire fuel on privately-owned land through one or multiple options, including: reduced home insurance rates upon certification of adequate fire smart status; a tax rebate in correlation to the amount of fibre removed from the property to achieve fire smart status; andor a reduction in property tax rates once certification of fire smart status is achieved.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development The Province introduced the Community Resiliency Investment CRI program in September 2018. This program provides funding and support for communities to complete FireSmart initiatives, including priority fuel management activities on provincial Crown land and on private land. The CRI program aligns with Forest Enhancement Society of BC FESBC funding opportunities. FESBC is partnering with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, the First Nations Emergency Services Society of BC and the ministry to streamline risk reduction activities. In 2018, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC awarded 134 million for 71 projects that helped support communities, reduce wildfire risks, protect wildlife and address the effects of climate change. This work helps restore damaged forests and ecosystems, and it supports workers and communities that rely on forestry. BC FireSmart Committee is leading a review of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan process, including how a plan is developed and implemented, and how it can complement existing land use and community plans. The committee includes the BC Wildfire Service, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, the Union of BC Municipalities, the Fire Chiefs Association of B.C., Emergency Management BC, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC FESBC and the First Nations Emergency Services Society. The provincial property tax system is designed to ensure universality and ease of administration. This means that there are generally few exemptions ensuring fairness and that the staff cost of administering the tax does not run counter to the purpose of the tax. Applying multiple tax rates to properties within the same class is very complicated for tax collectors. Similarly, trying to run a grant program through the property or income tax system is also complicated. Incentives for communities and property owners to reduce the amount of forest fire fuel on lands should be administered through the various forest fire funding programs that the province provides.
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Although Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada AAFC does not offer programs for tax credits or rebates, nor is it responsible for the development and enforcement of regulations related to wildfires, a suite of programs is available to support agricultural producers recover from natural disasters, such as wildfires. The Canadian Agricultural Partnership CAP is a five-year investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to help the sector grow trade, advance innovation while maintaining and strengthening public confidence in the food system, and increase its diversity. CAP includes 2 billion for cost-shared programming funded by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Detailed information on British Columbias cost-shared programming can be found at: www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentindustryagriculture-seafoodprograms or by calling: 1-888-221-7141 or by emailing AgriServiceBCgov.bc.ca AAFCs business risk management programs provide support for recovery activities, such as the Canada-British Columbia Wildfire Recovery Initiative, which is administered by the Government of British Columbia. This initiative will provide up to 5 million to assist agricultural producers with the extraordinary costs incurred to recover from the adverse effects of this years wildfires. The Initiative is cost-shared between the federal and provincial governments on a 60:40 percent ratio. It is intended to help farmers and ranchers with the expenses required for recovery, enabling farms and ranches to return to production as quickly as possible. Further details can be found at: www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentindustryagricultureseafoodprogramsbc-wildfires-agrirecovery-initiative. Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness The Government of Canada recognizes that disasters are increasing in frequency and magnitude due to factors such as climate change, increased urbanization, and critical infrastructure dependencies. On January 25, 2019, federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for emergency management formally approved and released the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030. This strategy is the culmination of more than two years of work and reflects engagement with federal, provincial and territorial partners and stakeholders. The strategy supports a whole-of-society approach to emergency management, outlines key priority areas to build a more resilient Canadian society by 2030, and aligns with the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Ultimately, it provides a roadmap to strengthen Canadas ability to better prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Furthermore, the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund DMAF, a 10-year, 2 billion national program, is designed to help communities better withstand current and future risks related to natural hazards by supporting large-scale infrastructure projects. This program supports changing and reinforcing existing public infrastructure, as well as building new public infrastructure. For more information, I encourage you to visit the DMAF website at: www.infrastructure.gc.cadmaf-faacindex-eng.html In addition, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre CIFFC provides operational wildland fire-control services, as well as management and information services to its Member Agencies. During the BC wildfires, the CIFFC coordinated close to 900 additional firefighting resources from across the provinces and internationally. I encourage you to visit the CIFFC website at: www.ciffc.ca. Natural Resource Canadas Canadian Forest Service also supports wildfire control with daily computer generated fire-growth modeling on priority fires, and customized remote sensing for enhanced fire mapping, including monitoring and reporting on the national wildland fire situation and expected wildland fire trends. Minister of Natural Resources Wildfires are becoming more dangerous and unpredictable due to climate change. Therefore, building community resilience is important. In fact, one of the strategic objectives of the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers is resilient communities and an empowered public that use FireSmart activities to minimize public safety risk. Natural Resources Canadas Canadian Forest Service CFS supports the FireSmart Program as an important initiative that provides guidance and best practices to homeowners, communities, industry and other stakeholders to reduce their risk from wildfires. CFS has an interest in determining how to reduce risk from wildfires in forested areas as well as in the wildland-urban interface. In collaboration with our partners, we recognize that research is required to improve construction and civil engineering standards and to determine any changes to building codes, policies or regulations to increase the resilience of structures to wildfires. The wildland-urban interface and its vulnerability to wildfires is an emerging issue related to property insurance as well. NRCan conducts research that addresses many aspects important to FireSmart, such as science-based procedures to evaluate wildfire risk to communities. Through the collaborative work of CFS and its partners, citizens, communities, industries and governments will be better informed of the wildfire-related risks and vulnerabilities they face. This will enable better planning, prioritization and informed actions to mitigate risk. While CFS does not have a direct role in fighting wildfires or in deploying resources to manage them, it provides wildfire intelligence and conducts internationally-respected research that directly benefits wildland fire management in Canada. The provinces and territories, along with Parks Canada, are responsible for wildland fire management in forested areas in Canada. NRCan does not provide any incentives to communities to adopt FireSmart for increased resiliency to wildfires. Should you require further information, please visit the CFS website, which describes our work related to the forests including forest fires at: www.nrcan. gc. caforeststopics13505
Insurance Bureau of Canada IBC The property and casualty insurance industry supports any efforts that reduce the wildfire risk and that help individuals and communities become more resilient to fire damage. FireSmart practices recommend fire-resistant building materials and design standards in areas that are prone to wildfires. When assessing risk, insurers take into consideration a number of factors, including the types of building materials used, the age and material of the roof, and the size and nature of any detached structures around the property. Insurers then adjust the property insurance premium to reflect the increased or reduced risk that each of these factors represents. As the trade association representing Canadas private home, business, and auto insurers, IBC does not have the ability to provide incentive options for property owners and agricultural landowners, and cannot compel our members to reduce their property insurance premiums. However, we will inform them of the UBCMs resolution and will include it in future discussions in this regard. Insurers have and will continue to advocate for stronger building codes, improved land-use planning and increased mitigation to reduce the risks associated with wildfires and ultimately improve the safety of homes and communities across Canada.