A big announcement on Wednesday regarding flood recovery in the Boundary.
Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, Jennifer Rice with the Province of BC, joined local officials at the Ruckle Beach of Grand Forks:
“While it’s important to reflect on the amount of work that’s been done in this area so far, this is only the beginning. Today is the first day of a new chapter for this recovery, and that brings me to why we’re here today…”
A total of $53.3 million is going to Grand Forks and the Boundary for flood protection. The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, applied for in January, makes up $49.8-million of that total. Rice says the federal government committed $19.9-million to the DMAF, the Province covered $28.9-million, and the City of Grand Forks is committing $1-million.
RDKB Chair Roly Russell commends the Province:
“There has been an enormous amount of energy dedicated to this proposal from our local team, but our provincial partners really need to be recognized for their openness and dedication to navigating this new territory of community based recovery. Today’s announcement is one more piece in that puzzle.”
Mayor Brian Taylor commends the community:
“I’m impressed at the patience for the community, waiting a whole year for some of these answers that we hope can get to people now, and that we can move forward with mitigation. I would like to dispute one thing that Jennifer said, I’d like to put Grand Forks on the map as an un-floodable town.”
The remaining $3.1 million goes towards the Grand Forks Business Protection Works Program. This after an application for approximately $3-million was denied earlier this year. The provincial government covered two point six million and the City of Grand Forks covered half of a million. Rice says that project will help reinforce riverbanks, re-establish natural flood plains, and reinforce dykes in strategic areas to better protect the downtown core.