Response to Floods and Wildfires Requests for Assistance
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: EMPB
Proposed Response:
- Public Safety Canada is mandated to keep Canadians safe from a range of risks including flooding and wildfires.
- The Government Operations Centre (GOC) engages with federal and provincial/territorial partners on a 24/7 basis in order to be ready to coordinate a response, should federal assistance be required.
- Emergency response is handled first at the local level. If local first responders need assistance, they can request it from neighbouring municipalities or from their province or territory.
- However, if an emergency escalates beyond their response capabilities, provinces or territories can request assistance from the federal government.
- There is a well-established process in place for managing requests for federal assistance, which is facilitated by Public Safety Canada regional offices through the GOC, and includes interdepartmental consultation and coordination as it pertains to resources.
- This process ensures that municipal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions are respected, that emergency response is well-coordinated and that the provision of resources can be expedited quickly at the national level when needed.
Background:
The Government Operations Centre (GOC) is mandated, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to lead and support response coordination of events affecting the national interest. It is an interdepartmental response-focused asset of the Government of Canada working in support of deputy heads, departments and agencies at the national (strategic) whole-of-government level.
It brings all partners into a common environment to harmonize collective actions and abilities into efficient analysis and action.
Each year, in consultation with partners, the GOC completes a comprehensive risk assessment and planning process in advance of the wildland urban interface and flooding seasons. The intent is to increase federal preparedness to support provinces and territories for potential spring flooding and urban interface wildfires. The final outcomes include a national risk assessment and the Government of Canada Contingency Plan for each of these cyclical events. The objective of these Contingency Plans is to outline a coordinated structure for an integrated federal response to flooding or wildfire events, in support of the provinces and territories (PT), for regions of concern. The Contingency Plan also provides strategic guidance and orientation for planning and response personnel at the national level.
During the flooding and wildfire seasons, our government maintains continuous communication with our federal and provincial partners, including Indigenous Communities, while monitoring impacts on communities on a 24/7 basis.
Climate change is making natural disasters more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive. In the past few years, the Minister of Public Safety, on behalf of the federal government, has accepted increasing numbers of Requests for Assistance (RFAs) for relief efforts from devastating events including the Fort McMurray and BC wildfires, as well as flooding in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.
Summarized below are the RFAs the federal government responded to as a result of flooding and wildfires in Canada in 2019.
Flooding
During April 2019, the Minister of Public Safety Canada (PS) accepted four separate RFAs from the Provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario, and Québec, as well as one specifically for the National Capital Region, to assist with flood mitigation and response efforts. The GOC coordinated assistance from numerous federal departments and agencies including the CAF, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Transport Canada, Canadian Coast Guard, Natural Resources Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The following month, in May, 2019, the Province of Québec requested additional assistance to conduct recovery activities, to assist with cleaning up of sandbags and to provide materials used for flood mitigation.
On November 13, 2019, the Province of Ontario requested federal assistance from the CAF Rangers to assist in the evacuation of Bearskin Lake First Nation community, due to flooding in the community from an ice jam on the Severn River.
Wildfires
While still responding to the flooding event in the spring of 2019, wildfires were also occurring across various provinces and territories throughout Canada. As a result of fire and smoke from the Red Lake fire in northwestern Ontario, the Province of Ontario requested federal assistance for the evacuation and return of the Pikangikum and Keewaywin First Nation communities. The CAF responded by providing aircraft and evacuation assistance, with support from ISC, between May and July 2019.
In June 2019, the Province of Alberta requested the federal government be prepared to provide air and ground support for potential evacuations from various communities impacted by wildfires. While a number of evacuations ensued throughout the province, federal assistance was not required.
The GOC continues to monitor activities in collaboration with its partners and is prepared to respond to further requests for federal assistance.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Trudy Charron, Senior Program Advisor, 613-991-7003
Approved by: Patrick Tanguy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management and Programs Branch, 613-993-4325
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