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FCM Report: Municipalities Still Left Out of Disaster Planning |
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Written by Staff
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Thursday, 29 June 2006 |
Keeping our cities and communities safe requires municipal involvement in planning and coordinating emergency response, according to a report released today by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
The report, "Emergency: Municipalities missing from disaster planning," says that despite a federal government expenditure of $9.5 billion to security since 2001, not enough of this funding has gone to municipalities, where it can do the most good. The funding that municipalities have received, such as what they receive through the Joint Emergency Planning Program (JEPP), Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) or other programs, is limited and highly bureaucratized which has resulted in many municipalities remaining unable to cope with significant emergencies.
"There has been a serious increase in threats to Canada and its municipalities, from terrorist attacks and disease outbreaks to more frequent and catastrophic natural disasters," said Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly, chair of FCM's Big City Mayors' Caucus working group on public safety, security and emergency preparedness. "We must be better prepared for these events than New Orleans was for Hurricane Katrina."
"Municipal governments are the first responders in more than 95 per cent of all emergencies," says FCM President, Councillor Gloria Kovach of Guelph, Ont. "We must have a role in shaping the policies governing security and emergency preparedness."
The report makes 26 recommendations, including the need for better cooperation and coordination among governments on planning and response capabilities; municipal involvement in setting the policies and programs for emergency response; and appropriate funding.
This report also urges that establishing a municipal voice at the federal table is the most critical measure to seek. |
