Image: MP Brad Vis / MP Brad Vis, representing Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs in Parliament, has signed a letter along with Chilliwack-Hope MP Mark Strahl demanding the federal Liberals provide funding for cities like Abbotsford, Merritt and Princeton in the wake of their application for federal disaster funding being declined. All three cities were heavily impacted by the November 2021 floods, and all three spent time applying for federal disaster funding, only to be denied.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Denial of federal funding

Five B.C. MPs demand answers as to why Abbotsford, other cities were denied federal disaster funding

Jun 11, 2024 | 10:37 AM

CHILLIWACK — Five Conservative Party MPs from British Columbia, including Chilliwack-Hope MP Mark Strahl and Abbotsford-area MP Brad Vis, have signed on to a letter that calls on the federal Trudeau Liberals to reconsider their decision denying disaster mitigation funding to cities like Abbotsford, Merritt and Princeton.

According to the letter dated June 6, 2024, the six MPs said the municipalities of Abbotsford, Merritt and Princeton have struggled to recover and rebuild in advance of future floods. They said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured B.C. residents that his government “would have their back.”

The opposite has been true, the six MPs argue.

“Since the devastating floods in 2021, British Columbians have been repeatedly let down by the Liberal government,” the letter said. “With minimal support from Ottawa, the municipalities of Abbotsford, Merritt, and Princeton have struggled to recover and rebuild in advance of future floods. Sadly, after this photo-op announcement, he left town the next day never to think about impacted residents again.”

The letter argues that in the two-plus years since the floods of November 2021, the municipalities have gone through lengthy, expensive applications for federal funding through the Disaster Mitigation & Adaptation Fund. All three cities were passed over for federal funding, prompting frustration from Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens.

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“We were shocked to see that on June 3, their applications were denied,” the joint letter stated. “By denying this application, the government is turning their backs on our region and putting critical national infrastructure at risk. Preventing future recurrences of the 2021 disaster is critical for the people of British Columbia whose homes and livelihoods are under threat, but also to protect food security and supply chain integrity for the entire country. It cannot be overstated how pivotal this region’s flood resilience is to the economy of British Columbia and all of Canada.”

The six Conservative MPs say the Liberal government has had over two years to help British Columbians prepare for floods, but rather than work constructively with communities, this government has opted to gatekeep and break promises.

“This is yet another example of a government that is all talk and no action,” the letter stated. “Together with my colleagues representing British Columbians, we are demanding that you as Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities demonstrate real leadership by telling the big government gatekeepers to get out of the way and reopen applications to ensure a fair deal for British Columbia.”