Last week, the Government of Canada announced an investment in Thunder Bay, Ontario to build climate change resilience by reducing the impact of flooding.
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 Bill Mauro, Mayor of Thunder Bay, announced the funding for a project to mitigate extreme flooding events, and enhancing stormwater infrastructure and management in Thunder Bay.
“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,” said Minister Hajdu. “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.”
The 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.
“We’ve seen the property damage many communities have had to endure as a result of extreme weather,” said MP Runsak. “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.”
Once completed, this project will help protect over 102,000 Thunder Bay residents from flooding during extreme weather events. It is also expected to save $15.30 for every $1 invested in long-term savings on recovery and replacement cost.
“We appreciate the Government of Canada’s commitment in supporting Thunder Bay’s goal in becoming a more climate-resilient city,” said Mayor Mauro. “The funding for these important infrastructure projects will allow us to be better prepared and adaptable to the new and unforeseen realities of climate change, as well as increase our sustainability.”
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.
