Work to develop updated coastal flood risk maps and adaptation strategies by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has been okayed for $510,000 in provincial funding.
A Feb. 3 media release from the province stated that award was part of $23.4 million in Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) disaster risk reduction – climate adaptation stream grants to support communities to prepare for, mitigate and respond to climate-related emergencies.
“We recognize that the affects of climate change will continue to be challenging, so we have to prepare for them to help keep people and communities safe,” Powell River-Sunshine Coast member of the legislative assembly said Nicholas Simons said in the release. “These investments will go towards important planning and critical infrastructure to improve our communities’ resilience.”
Updating work done in 2013
The SCRD board authorized the grant application following review of a staff report at its Sept 22, 2022 committee of the whole meeting. That document detailed the scale of the risk that coastal flooding from sea level rise combined with wave actions from increased numbers and intensities storms can create for local infrastructure.
“At 509 km of coastline, the SCRD has more coastline than most other (BC) regional districts. The SCRD owns and manages assets that are in low lying areas such as docks and water mains. SCRD services also rely on community assets owned by others such as roads, which can also be in low lying areas,” it stated.
That report outlined that the project will enable the update of local government regulations targeted at setting a flood construction level for various zones of the Sunshine Coast. Included will be updating of assumptions in the SCRD’s 2013 Coastal Flooding Development Permit Area document; dividing lower coast areas into zones with flood construction levels set for each, with recommendations on regulation updates. The work will be done in partnerships with the District of Sechelt, Islands Trust, and Gibsons and is to be completed within two years.
Other CEPF funding
The release outlined that projects from 48 other local governments organizations also received funding, including the Tla’amin Nation. It is to receive $185,000 for a Shoreline Naturalization Plan.
The CEPF has several funding streams, that fund projects related to public notification and evacuation planning, emergency support services and extreme heat risk mapping, assessment and planning. It is administered through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM).
On Aug 25, 2022 the SCRD received a $120,000 CEPF grant to fund the development of an extreme heat response plan. That is slated to cover the full cost of plan development for the SCRD, Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt and shíshálh Nation.
