Ontario's new Flooding Strategy fits right in with the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority's goals.
General Manager Phil Beard said it promises investment in flood and erosion control measures, which were last funded over two decades ago.
"That [funding] helped, especially rural communities, to be able to afford to undertake flood damage reduction measures as they did in Goderich and Listowel. so it meant that they were able to get up to an 85 per cent grant to publ infrastructure in place," Beard explained.
Beard said it is necessary to partner with provincial and federal governments to cover the cost of the infrastructure. And he said rural areas should get a higher grant rate to be able to afford to reduce flooding.
He added rural areas like Harriston should get a higher grant rate to be able to afford very costly measures to address flooding.
"Anywhere from $10 million to $20 million, while their total revenue for that entire municipality is only $7 million, so there's no way they could ever afford to reduce the risk in Harriston, without federal and provincial help," he added. "With our warming climate, the risk of flooding is only going to increase. In the Maitland watershed, we have almost a half a billion dollars worth of development at risk of flooding and erosion."
Beard says the strategy includes continued transfer payments for flood and erosion safety services, which were cut by 48 per cent last year.
