Canada and British Columbia invest in critical infrastructure to prevent floods in Squamish

SQUAMISH, BC, July 30, 2021  /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and British Columbia continue to invest in local infrastructure during this unprecedented time to help create jobs, support local economies, and make communities more resilient.

Today, Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea-to-Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Mike Farnworth, British Columbia's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and Karen Elliott, Mayor of the District of Squamish, announced funding to help prevent floods in Squamish.

Through the Jimmy Jimmy Judd Slough Replacement Project, the District of Squamish will replace two decommissioned culverts within the Squamish River Dike with a new flood box. The new box is designed to control seepage through the dike and will be controlled via automatically operated sluice gates. The culvert will be equipped with instrumentation to measure rainfall, water levels within Jimmy Jimmy (Judd) Slough and the Squamish River as well as the flow through the culvert to ensure it is operating properly. The replacement of the culverts will help prevent dike failure and protect the surrounding community from potential flood threats.

The Government of Canada is investing $1.4 million in this project through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's new COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream. Federal funding is conditional on fulfilling all requirements related to consultation with Indigenous groups and environmental assessment requirements.

Quotes

"We have seen how climate change has increased the severity and frequency of devastating extreme weather events, floods, land erosion and fast-flowing rivers, putting whole communities at risk. Municipalities need the resources to fully respond to these challenges. This project will help Squamish make the necessary upgrades to the Squamish River dike to protect our community from potential floods. Working with our provincial and municipal partners, our government will continue to build the infrastructure that will ensure communities are resilient to climate variability and change."

Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea-to-Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"The funding announced today will modernize our flooding infrastructure to better protect homes, businesses and the community of Squamish. Our government will continue working with federal and local partners to make valuable investments in infrastructure that support flood risk management, helping keep our communities livable and safe."

The Honourable Mike Farnworth, British Columbia's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General

"Restoration of the salmon spawning habitat is a shared goal with the Squamish Nation and this project is critical to our ability of improving water quality and aquatic habitat in the Jimmy Jimmy (Judd) Slough. We wish to thank the federal and provincial government for these funds that will allow us to build community resiliency while protecting, enhancing and preserving the health of our watershed and ecosystem."

Mayor Karen Elliott, District of Squamish

Quick facts

• To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure 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. 
• Under the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream, the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects is up to 80% in the provinces, and up to 100% in the territories and for projects intended for Indigenous communities. For projects that are federally funded at 80%, British Columbia contributed 20% to provide a total cost share of 100%.
• Across B.C., the federal funding of COVID-19 resilience projects is in addition to more than $4.4 billion that has already been invested in over 580 infrastructure projects under the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.

Associated links

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

Investing in Canada: B.C.'s COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream
www.gov.bc.ca/Investing-in-Canada-Infrastructure-Program 

Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia:
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-bc-eng.html 

Jimmy Jimmy (Judd) Slough Culvert Replacement
https://squamish.ca/yourgovernment/projects-and-initiatives/slough-culvert-replacement/

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada