Windsor residents to benefit from flood protection initiatives

WINDSOR, ON, April 18, 2019 /CNW/ - 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 and wildfires is critical to keeping Canadian families safe, protecting local businesses and supporting a strong economy and the middle class.

Marco Mendicino, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, today announced funding for flood protection initiatives in Windsor.

In recent years, severe storms have caused significant flood damage to local residences and businesses. The project involves building and expanding roadways, sewers and pump stations and other storm water infrastructure. Once complete, this project will reduce the impacts of flooding on Windsor residents and the local economy.

The Government of Canada is contributing over $32 million to this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

Quotes

"Taking concrete steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change is more and more essential to ensuring a safe prosperous future for our kids and grandkids. By investing in this important flood protection project, we are helping the community of Windsor build capacity for handling significant rainfalls. This important work will equip the community with the infrastructure it needs to better protect residents, become more resilient to future flooding events and greatly reduce the costs of recovery following extreme weather incidents."

Marco Mendicino, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"Extreme weather is becoming more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive because of climate change. By investing in the infrastructure that protects our neighbourhoods, businesses, and families, we are building communities that can withstand future natural disasters and thrive for generations to come."

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety

"The City of Windsor has been hard hit by flooding in recent years, and we've been working diligently with residents to implement both short and long term solutions. Having the Government of Canada come to the table with 32.1 million dollars means we can immediately move forward on 12 major projects. It's a significant investment in our community, and we sincerely thank them for their support."

Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor

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.
• DMAF is part of the federal government's Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, which is providing more than $180 billion over 12 years for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Associated links

Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/dmaf-faac/index-eng.html 

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html 

Federal infrastructure investments in Ontario: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/on-eng.html

Investing in Canada plan project map: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class: https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/home-accueil-en.html

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada