Canada helps protect the Municipal District of Taber from flooding

TABER, AB, Nov. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - The Municipal District of Taber will be better protected from major floods caused by heavy rainfalls or snowmelts as the Government of Canada invests in important public infrastructure to better protect families, businesses and communities from the effects of extreme weather events.

Today, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Merrill Harris, Reeve of the Municipal District of Taber, announced funding for Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Horsefly Regional Emergency Spillway. The federal government's investment of more than $9.8 million in this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund will help protect more than 60,000 Albertans in the Municipal District of Taber from the impacts of floods.

Since 2010, the Municipal District of Taber has experienced five major floods due to sudden heavy rainfalls and snowmelts that caused significant damage to municipal roads, crops, and properties. The new spillway will enlarge 14 kilometers of existing irrigation canals to divert storm water from the St. Mary River Irrigation District Main Canal to the Oldman River during storm events, significantly reducing the threat of flooding due to climate change and keeping families safe.

The Horsefly Regional Emergency Spillway project is expected to create more than 100 construction jobs through Phases 1 to 3. Today's announcement builds on the Government of Canada's investment of more than $8.8 million in Phase 1 of the project.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is helping communities across Canada better manage the risks of disasters triggered by severe weather events and a changing climate. This important project in the Municipal District of Taber will help make over 60,000 people across the region more resilient to flooding. Through our Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, we're investing more than $9.8 million to help protect residents, their properties, and crops from flooding."

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"The Municipal District of Taber is proud to be partnering with Infrastructure Canada to ensure the ongoing safety and security of residents across the region, while creating up to 150 new construction jobs at a time when jobs are needed most. The long-term economic impact these infrastructure upgrades will provide, not only stops the devastating  loss to important farmland and high-value specialty crops, but provides the necessary groundwork  to attract further  investment in  the agricultural and food processing industry, leading to further job creation and a brighter economic future for all southern Albertans."

Merrill Harris, Reeve of the Municipal District of Taber

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.
• To date, more than $1.9 billion has been announced through DMAF for 67 large-scale infrastructure projects that will help protect communities across the country from the threats of climate change.
• DMAF is part of the federal government's Investing in Canada 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.
• The Government of Canada is also investing more than $8.8 million for Phase 1 of the Horsefly Regional Emergency Spillway project through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan.
• To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories.
• The COVID-19 Resilience Stream will help other orders of governments whose finances have been significantly impacted by the pandemic by increasing the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects.
• The Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will provide up to $31 million in existing federal funding to support communities as they deploy innovative new ways to adapt spaces and services to respond to immediate and ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years.

Associated links

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

Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund projects in Alberta
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-ab-eng.html#1.3

Investing in COVID-19 Community Resilience
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/covid-19-resilience-eng.html

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

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

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada