The federal budget is getting favourable reviews at city hall thanks to a new $200 million fund to help municipalities better prepare themselves for natural disasters.
The newly created disaster mitigation fund comes on the heels of a costly year for Toronto, in which the city shelled out millions of dollars on the cleanup from two major storms, depleting its reserve accounts for weather-related emergencies in the process.
“The good news for Torontonians is that the federal government is recognizing that natural disasters are causing a hardship for municipalities,” Coun. Karen Stintz told CP24 following the tabling of the budget Tuesday afternoon. “We need this kind of program so that we can upgrade our infrastructure and don’t have to go back and ask for money for any damages that have occurred.”
Any municipality will be able to apply for funding from the new disaster fund, provided that it is spent on weather-proofing infrastructure to mitigate the potential damage from extreme weather.
Discussing the budget at city hall, Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly singled out the new disaster program, saying he was “delighted” to see it included given Toronto’s recent brush with extreme weather.
Toronto shelled out an estimated $106 million on December’s ice storm and another $65 million on a major rain storm that resulted in significant flooding in July.
“One of the first things I would like to do is to see if there is any money in there for the City of Toronto,” Kelly said.
Mayor Rob Ford also highlighted the disaster mitigation program in a statement released late Tuesday afternoon, saying the city “appreciates” the investment.
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