Federal government announces projects to strenghten Canada’s ability to respond to natural disasters

The federal government announced on Friday four new projects to help improve Canada’s ability to respond to natural disasters, such as flooding, and address public health emergencies.

James Bezan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Defence and Lawrence Toet, the MP for Elmwood-Transcona, made the announcement on behalf of Associate Minister of National Defence, Julian Fantino. The projects were announced as part of a $12 million investment funded through the Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP), the Department of National Defence (DND) said in a press release.

Two projects will aim to mitigate the impact of natural disasters. The first project will “leverage the Government of Canada’s significant and ongoing investment in the space Earth observation sector to develop a real-time, web-accessible flood prediction and monitoring prototype system for Canada,” the release noted. Partners will include NASA and Natural Resources Canada.

The second project will study measures that could strengthen the resilience of Canada’s water sector. Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, in partnership with Dalhousie University in Halifax, will lead the project.

The other two projects will tackle the issue of public health emergencies. The first project will seek to develop “comprehensive models to enhance our understanding of antimicrobial resistance, which threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, viruses and more,” the DND said. The second project will expand the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence platform to enable its use on mobile technologies and develop new tools to foster improved communication on issues related to human, animal and environmental health.

“The projects announced today will help ensure greater safety for Canadians in the face of natural disasters and public health emergencies,” Bezan said in the release. “As a Manitoban, I am all too familiar with the devastating impact of natural disasters, such as flooding, on communities and families. The development of an innovative real-time web-accessible flood prediction and monitoring prototype system is a positive step forward, as it will assist many communities in Manitoba and beyond better prepare for such a natural disaster.”