Storms in southwestern British Columbia are once again placing significant strain on communities and compounding the long-term impacts of past flood events. As local governments and other service providers respond to the impacts, UBCM continues to call for sustained provincial and federal funding and support to help local governments respond, recover and invest in long-term flood risk mitigation.
Prolonged rainfall, saturated soils and high river levels are echoing the conditions experienced during the 2021 atmospheric river events. The weather has led to flooding and evacuations, agricultural losses, damage to infrastructure, and also heightened the risk of landslides.
For many communities, these repeated events have compounded recovery challenges, placing additional pressure on already stretched emergency management and public works budgets and resources.
UBCM has consistently emphasized the need for coordinated long-term provincial and federal investment to support local governments in addressing growing flood risks.
“Within the first six months following the devastating flood of 2021, we developed a long-term flood mitigation plan to avoid this exact issue,” said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens in a press conference Dec. 12. “We have done everything – including almost standing on our heads – to be noticed and to be heard. And again, to be disappointed by our federal government. This is a foundational issue to our economy, our food security. To put my city, our residents at risk once again needlessly because of inaction is frustrating.”
Reporting in the Vancouver Sun has also drawn attention to the lack of action since 2021 that left those same communities vulnerable to stormwater impacts.
Since 2021, local governments have worked diligently – with limited budgets and resources – to strengthen flood preparedness and resilience. These efforts have included updating dike and drainage planning, integrating climate risk into land-use decision-making, and participating in provincial and regional emergency management initiatives. However, federal and provincial support is desperately needed to ‘build back better’ and mitigate the damage and costs that might come from future events.
At the provincial level, the introduction of the BC Flood Strategy in May 2024 marked an important step toward a more coordinated, long-term approach to flood risk management. However, the Strategy re-enforces the Province’s position that key flood management duties (e.g., diking authority) be assigned to local governments. Failure to appropriately fund the Strategy has exposed gaps between policy intent and the scale, predictability and timeliness of preparedness and mitigation action that is needed to protect communities from flood events. A recent Tyee article points to frustration at “lack of progress and funding for the strategy’s lofty goals.”
UBCM Policy
UBCM members have consistently advocated for stronger, more reliable support for local governments facing flood risk through resolutions that call for increased and sustained funding for climate change adaptation and flood protection, including investments in dike infrastructure and other structural mitigation measures, as well as proactive funding to address regional geo-hazards. UBCM has also raised concerns with the Minister of Emergency Management regarding the lack of clear policy tools and funding mechanisms to support those affected by landslide risk, which will further increase with extreme rainfall events.
UBCM stands with affected members as they continue the urgent work of responding to ongoing flooding, supporting residents and businesses, and repairing damaged infrastructure.
At the same time, UBCM remains focused on the longer-term need to rebuild in ways that reduce future flood risk and improve community resilience. Achieving this will require sustained, coordinated provincial and federal investment that matches the scale and frequency of climate-driven flooding now facing communities across British Columbia.
Related resolutions:
- Provincial government re-established as diking authority (2023-EB29);
- Special Resolution: Provincial responsibility for flood protection (2022-SR3)
- Flood mitigation response (2021-EB6)
- Regional Geo-Hazards (2020-EB13)
- Provincial funding for dike upgrades (2020-EB14)
- Funding for climate change adaptation – Flood protection (2019-B12)