The Government of Canada is providing more than $15.3 million for the City of Victoria to make infrastructure improvements that will improve climate resilience in the community.
“Extreme weather is becoming more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive because of climate change,” said Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety. “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 project involves renewing the city’s aging underground infrastructure to make it more resilient to floods from coastal storms, spring thaws and rising sea levels, which are all intensifying as a result of climate change. With its location along an active seismic zone, the infrastructure will also be reinforced to withstand earthquakes.
This project builds on work previously done by the City to identify the vulnerabilities of their existing infrastructure and put measures in place to address these risks. Once complete, it is expected to better protect more than 86,000 residents from the effects of coastal natural hazards and reduce the number of families and businesses who go without essential services at these times by 95 per cent.
“Victoria faces a unique set of risks related to earthquakes and a changing climate. Our coastal city is blessed with heritage and historic buildings, but includes vulnerable infrastructure and utilities along an active seismic zone,” said Lisa Helps, Mayor of Victoria. “We need to invest our limited funds wisely to prepare and protect against damage from earthquakes, sea level rise, increased flooding and storms. Federal programs like this provide essential funds so cities can take action to build a more resilient, thriving community.”
The Government of Canada is contributing the funding to this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.