The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) has some serious concerns about BC’s new Emergency and Disaster Management Act, which came into effect on November 8.
According to a provincial government video, “We know people are worried about the climate driven challenges across British Columbia that are significantly affecting our families, communities, economy, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Modern realities like frequent floods, wildfires, drought, and extreme heat, as well as the COVID 19 pandemic have a lasting impact on people and communIties. A significant step in our response to these challenges involves modernizing BC’s emergency management legislation to include the requirement that the emergency management plans of provincial ministries, local authorities, and critical infrastructure operators are informed by risk assessments.”
At their Wednesday Dec 13 meeting. Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman told the SRD Board his concerns with the way the government was implementing these ideas:
“ I would really want to see from the province a compilation of the data, statistics, and answers that they receive from all local authorities that are providing feedback to this regulation discussion paper that’s available to the public because I can guarantee you we’re all telling the province to put their cuckoo back in the clock.”
“I think the public needs to see that as well. It’s not entirely out of the box. When the province first started talking about updating the act back in 2020, they asked for feedback from our Regional Board. I brought a report to the board that we (recently) sent to the provincial government.”
Koopman outlined some of his objections:
Q/How long are we going to need to implement these regulations?
“At the very best, I feel that’s a question that’s being asked in bad faith because they aren’t telling us what these regulations are. I have no clue how long we’re going to need to implement these regulations until they tell us the details. You’ll see a lot of ‘nos’ in the answers to the questions in that.”
“No, I don’t want the province to dictate with an iron fist how we operate emergency services in the Strathcona Regional District.”
“The province was recently audited by the ombudsperson on their disaster financial assistance and emergency support services program, which were both found to be in tatters. So if they can’t even run their own longest existing programs correctly, who are they to dictate us about how to do our operations? I will gladly accept templates, guidance, suggestions from the province on how to operate – but no, I don’t want it to be a ‘thou shalt, this is what we have to do to meet your criteria.’”
“I also don’t feel it’s appropriate for the province to dictate how we consult with what they’re calling Indigenous governing bodies. I feel that each First Nation in the regional district should determine how, when, and through what process they wish to be consulted. So that’s kind of an overall summary of the report and my response to their questions.”
“Municipalities and regional districts will need different regulations. We are very different entities with how we operate, the services that we offer, and how even taxes are collected.”
Mayor Julie Colborne of Zeballos agreed, “I think there is a difference in, as you said, providing resources to us rather than dictating how we do it and then asking us to run programs when we need all the help we can get. We need those templates, we need those things, but we need options within those.”
Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney of Area C questioned the fact Koopman wrote that it was not necessary for the province to draw up regulations on how local governments should consult each other.
“You were saying that you didn’t think that was necessary. I was wondering if being provided with updated plans would be beneficial from, for instance, the Comox Valley Regional District, because we do share a border with them, or also like municipalities that are within our region. So you just don’t think that there’s a necessity for that?”
Shaun Koopman: “There is absolutely a necessity for that and it’s something we do on a daily basis. I don’t need the province to tell me how to do that because we’re already doing it so well. It’s already a best practice. It’s already something we’re doing. We do it on an organic and community to community basis. So I want to keep doing it the way that we are doing it. I don’t want the province to tell us, ‘Oh, you have to have a meeting with the Comox Valley every month at this date and this time to discuss flood management.’”
There were some questions around the SRDS role in doing risk assessments. For example, what about the assessment for Highway 28, which was closed down last summer because of wildfires?
Shaun Koopman: “It shouldn’t be on me, Bonnie and Casey, to do a risk assessment of potential slope instability from Highway 28 between here and Gold River. If that risk is going to be assessed, it should be the province. I’m saying that as an example, if we are going to assess wildfire risk, within a kilometre outside of Gold River, it is fair to us. I don’t want to be responsible for leading a risk assessment for the middle of Strathcona Park. That’s the province’s land. So I hope that provides more clarification. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t assess risk and know about it. I’m saying that It shouldn’t be downloaded onto local authorities to do that.”
Mayor Colborne: “I think that the clearer we make that response to the province, the better.”
Mayor Michael Lott of Gold River responded, “I read through your report and I share sentiments on basically the entire report. When I read the requirements, I felt they were very dictatorial, overbearing and unreasonable, not well thought out and not well prepared. I do empathize with your sentiments and I understand why you’re expressing your frustration here. I just like to let you know that I feel the same way.”
Shaun Koopman: “You want to see frustration, talk to me in the parking lot. Okay, I’ll tell you how I really feel.” (Laughter)
Campbell River Director Susan Sinnott added, “Is this all because of the last few years and the various emergencies that have really struck the province in a profound way that now this is the pendulum coming back the other way from centralized government. I’m thinking like, the loss of the roads when we had the atmospheric river – how they poorly responded. I think, to some of the COVID constraints and declaration of an emergency that upended us in all sorts of ways that we’re still trying to sort out.”
Shaun Koopman: “The short story of that is yes, this is an update of the act that was started by the previous Liberal Government in baby steps. Then after 2017 and 2018 wildfires, it was completely taken back to the woodshed and started brand new. But ‘yes,’ essentially .”
Top image credit: Screenshot from video New Emergency and Disaster Management Act – Risk assessments
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