Whereas the Government of British Columbia passed the Emergency Program Act in 1996; And whereas the Act requires local authorities, ministries, Crown corporations, and government agencies to develop plans and programs to prepare and respond to emergencies and disasters in the province; And whereas there is no acknowledgment of who is responsible to develop a proactive program to mitigate emergencies and disasters in the province: Therefore be it resolved that the Province be requested to add mitigation to its Emergency Management BC mandate.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The Province recognizes the importance of mitigation to reduce the likelihood and impact of hazards to communities across British Columbia. In October 2018, British Columbia became the first Canadian province to adopt the United Nations UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with priorities for action including understanding disaster risk and investing in disaster risk reduction. Emergency Management BC EMBC does have a disaster mitigation program that administers mitigation funding programs such as the National Disaster Mitigation Program and the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund in partnership with the Union of BC Municipalities. Through this program, EMBC has funded 194 mitigation projects totaling over 167 million since 2016. The Province is in the process of modernizing the Emergency Program Act EPA and released a discussion paper on October 28, 2019 that outlines proposed changes. The three-month consultation was open until January 31, 2020 and local governments, First Nations, interested organizations and public input was encouraged. The proposed new legislation, expected to be tabled in the Fall 2020 legislative session, will address all four pillars of emergency management mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery and will emphasize an all-of-society approach to address risk and enhance resilience in all communities.