Addressing climate change and its effects in B.C. a big focus for 2022

B.C. Finance Minister Selina Robinson says making sure communities have the resources they need to deal with the effects of climate change will be a focal point of her budget when it is released on Tuesday.

From a record-setting heatwave, devastating wildfires, unusual weather events, catastrophic wildfires, and extreme cold events, the province saw its fair share of climate-driven events in 2021, bringing climate change and the environment back into a major focus.

B.C. has dealt with such events all while coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the ongoing opioid crisis.

“We’ve been through a lot together and I’m not just talking about the dual health emergencies that we continue to face,” Robinson said at a pre-budget news conference. “The past few years have clearly demonstrated the destructive effects of climate change.”

In an effort to try to deal with some of these forces, Robinson says the government plans to introduce a year-round B.C. Wildfire Service dedicated to full-time fire prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

“This is a fundamental change, a real shift that will deliver B.C. Wildfire Service from a reactive to a proactive approach by moving to a year-round workforce,” Robinson said.

The finance minister on Monday did not directly address estimates on the financial cost of last fall’s floods and mudslides in southern B.C., other than to say the details would be in the budget.

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Over the summer, devastating wildfires ripped through parts of the province, forcing many out of their homes. They came amid extreme heatwaves, which in some cases led to numerous deaths.

In Lytton, the village broke records for the highest-ever temperature recorded in Canada three times before the community was ultimately all but destroyed by flames. Two people died as a result of the fire.

Months later, catastrophic flooding that hit parts of southern B.C. in November 2021 resulted in devastation for many areas, including the Lower Mainland.

Crops and fields were destroyed by flooding, while mudslides and rising waters washed away most of southern B.C.’s major highways, including the Coquihalla.

In November, Robinson forecast a budget deficit of $1.7 billion for the 2021-22 fiscal year, down from the original projection of $9.7 billion last February. The forecast came ahead of the Omicron wave of COVID-19, which forced much of B.C.’s industries back into lockdown in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Stay with CityNews for the latest from B.C. Budget 2022. We’ll have the latest on-air and online as the details become available.