B.C. to introduce new disaster management laws to address preparedness, mitigation

Laws will address the four phases of emergency management, ranging from preparedness and mitigation to response and recovery, according to Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma.

British Columbia’s emergency management minister said the province will be ready to introduce “in the coming weeks” new laws to govern responses to increasingly frequent natural disasters such as wildfires and flooding.

Bowinn Ma told a gathering at the Union of B.C. Municipalities’ annual convention in Vancouver Tuesday that laws will address the four phases of emergency management, ranging from preparedness and mitigation to response and recovery.

Ma told B.C.’s local politicians that the current Emergency Program Act focusing on disaster response has not been updated since 1993 and hasn’t kept up with the increasing frequency of extreme weather brought on by climate change.

Also at the convention, health and weather officials warned B.C. communities that the higher frequency and size of wildfires in recent years will likely continue or get even worse, with the resulting smoke carrying long-term impacts on people’s health.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province had already seen record demand on emergency services in hospitals this summer, and the wildfire-induced smoke has created air quality challenges that may lead to even higher demand in the future.

Dix said the province has added about 5,400 new nurses this year, but the number isn’t “close to enough” to address the support that will be needed to handle possible public health issues arising from wildfire smoke and other patient needs.

Experts speaking at the convention said studies have shown a wide range of possible health issues stemming from smoke exposure, such as increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, as well as a possible reduction in cognitive functions and long-term harm for prenatal exposure.

B.C. Centre for Disease Control scientist Angela Yao said it is now very important that communities and households plan for poor air quality days, creating indoor spaces with proper ventilation to ward off the effects of breathing in minute particles in the air.