Question Period Note: DISASTER MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION FUND
About
- Reference number:
- INFC-2019-S1-0009
- Date received:
- Dec 4, 2019
- Organization:
- Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
- Name of Minister:
- McKenna, Catherine (Hon.)
- Title of Minister:
- Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Issue/Question:
Update on Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
Suggested Response:
- The Government of Canada is committed to helping communities better prepare for and withstand the potential impacts of natural disasters.
- That is why we have announced more than $1.7 billion for projects under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
- This funding helps to protect Canadians and their homes by preventing infrastructure failures and reducing the need to replace infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.
- We are committed to providing additional support to help protect communities across the country from the emerging threats of climate change.
Background:
- The DMAF was launched on May 17, 2018 and, through the first intake process, a total of 44 projects were approved.
- Due to the urgent and emergent situation caused by the Spring 2019 floods and wildfires in various communities across the country, DMAF projects were assessed outside of the competitive process, as per the program’s Terms and Conditions. A total of 15 projects were approved outside of the competitive process, for a grand total of 59 approved projects under DMAF, with a federal contribution of over $1.7B. DMAF’s remaining funding is $232.2M of the original $2B envelope.
- DMAF is a merit-based, competitive program open to provincial and territorial governments, municipal governments, indigenous communities, and not-for-profit and private sector organizations. DMAF is a national funding envelope with no provincial or territorial allocations.
- DMAF supports large-scale disaster mitigation projects that will reduce the potential impacts of severe weather and other natural hazards. A minimum of $20 million threshold of eligible costs is required for projects to be eligible under the program.
- DMAF offers a complementary approach to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Green Infrastructure Stream – Adaptation, Resilience, and Disaster Mitigation Investments. Both are designed to enable provinces, territories, and local communities to increase structural and natural capacity to adapt to climate change impacts, disasters triggered by natural hazards and extreme weather events.
- DMAF and ICIP are part of the Investing in Canada Plan through which the Government of Canada will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
- During the Expression of Interest phase for the first program intake, the pressure on the program was threefold the available funding.
- The Liberal 2019 election platform committed an additional $1 billion for DMAF.
Additional Information:
None