THUNDER BAY – 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.
Patty Hajdu, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay–Superior North and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Don Rusnak, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay–Rainy River; and Mayor Bill Mauro, today announced funding for a project mitigating extreme flooding events, and enhancing stormwater infrastructure and management in the City of Thunder Bay.
This project will see upgrades to the Boulevard Lake Dam to increase its ability to handle flood waters. Other improvements in the city include separating sewage from stormwater systems, and increasing the capacity of six storm main collectors.
Once completed, this project will help protect over 102,000 Thunder Bay residents from flooding during extreme weather events. This project will reduce the number of residents without essential services, and local economic losses. It is also expected to save $15.30 for every $1 invested in long-term savings on recovery and replacement cost.
The Government of Canada is investing over $13.2 million in this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund. The City of Thunder Bay is contributing over $19.8 million to the project.
“Taking concrete steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change is more and more essential to ensuring a safe prosperous future for our families and businesses. This important project will help protect Thunder Bay residents and their essential services against flooding, and greatly reduce the costs of property losses following extreme weather events,” stated Patty Hajdu, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Superior North and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.
“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,” shared Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety.
“We’ve seen the property damage many communities have had to endure as a result of extreme weather. The flood mitigation project for the City of Thunder Bay announced today will help to keep our residents and businesses safe and spare them the costs of recovery and rebuilding after storms,” commented Don Rusnak, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay–Rainy River.
