Now more than ever, communities need help adapting to the frequent and intensifying weather events caused by climate change. Reducing the impact of natural disasters such as flooding is critical to keeping Canadian families safe, protecting local businesses and supporting a strong economy.
Marco Mendicino, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and His Worship Darrin Canniff, Mayor of Chatham-Kent, today announced funding for a major flooding mitigation project in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent that will make communities in the surrounding area more protected to natural disasters.
The project involves reinforcing shorelines on the Thames River, Sydenham River and McGregor Creek, and ensuring that local essential services have the increased capacity needed to manage extreme weather events. The 6th Street Dam will also be replaced in order to reduce potential flooding and ice jams from the nearby rivers. Increasing the capacity to handle storms will reduce property damage and provide over 56,000 residents with a safer and healthier community for years to come.
The Government of Canada is investing over $16.5 million to this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent providing the remainder.
Quick facts
- The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion, 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts.
- Announcements in Budget 2019 build on the Government’s Investing in Canada Plan, under which the Government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years to build infrastructure in communities across the country.
- Investing in green infrastructure that helps communities cope with the intensifying effects of climate change is an integral part of Canada’s transition to a more resilient, low-carbon economy, which is among the commitments made under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
- Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, is the government’s plan to create more good well-paying jobs, put homeownership within reach of more Canadians, help working people get the training they need to succeed, support seniors, and lay the foundation for national pharmacare.
- With many municipalities across Canada facing serious infrastructure deficits, Budget 2019 proposes a one-time transfer of $2.2 billion through the federal Gas Tax Fund to address short-term priorities in municipalities and First Nations communities.
