Ombudsperson report reveals need for change for B.C.’s emergency support programs
Global News
The study was centered around the government’s response to the 2021 fires and floods that forced thousands of residents from their homes.
A new report from B.C.’s ombudsperson has revealed that the province’s emergency support programs for evacuees are ‘outdated, under resourced and inaccessible.’
The study was centred around the government’s response to the 2021 fires and floods that forced thousands of residents from their homes.
“We had some 500 people reply to our invitation, and they told us their stories,” said ombudsperson Jay Chalke.
“In addition, we obtained documents from the government, we spoke to experts, local governments, First Nations, many of them in the Interior where they had been affected.”
In B.C., there are two main disaster relief programs in place — Emergency Support Services and Disaster Financial Assistance — both of which are designed to provide immediate support when people are evacuated from their homes, but Chalke says the programs are past their prime.
“We heard about a mom who had a child with Type 1 diabetes, and she needed insulin. We heard about an elderly couple, one of whom was living with dementia and yet they had to spend over a day in their car,” said Chalke.
“The program are really just not fit for purpose anymore when we have these much bigger evacuations.”
In August, thousands of properties in the Central Okanagan were put under an evacuation order. One woman at the evacuation centre in West Kelowna echoed similar concerns about the province’s disaster response, after being told to wait four days for supports to kick in.
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