Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) announcement for Alberta flooding (2005)

Remarks by the
Honourable Stockwell Day
Minister of Public Safety

Calgary, Alberta
November 2, 2007
As delivered

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

As always, it's great to be here in Calgary this morning. The floods that hit this area of southern Alberta back in 2005 were absolutely devastating. It's estimated that one in 10 homes in Calgary alone were damaged and of course, so many in the communities around the area. Wherever you were in Canada in 2005, we all saw the scenes of devastation through the media.

It is so encouraging to know that in those times, in those moments, we have people who are trained to respond. Whether it's our firefighters, our first responders, our medical people, our police agencies, or all the various people who are working together preparing and planning for events that we hope will never actually take place. It is at the times when disaster hits that it is reassuring to know that we have the level of expertise here in Alberta, here in Calgary, and in our other municipalities to be able to mitigate the losses.

And losses are what we're talking about this morning. Minister Danyluk, as you know, there are Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements in place to help. Here is how they work. The province works with the municipalities and the areas affected to do a damage assessment. Sometimes it takes a year or two for all the bills to come in, but on a formula-based process, the federal government is there to help the provinces with the damages.

It is a very cooperative process and I can say, Minister, that I appreciate the cooperation of your officials and others at the provincial level in bringing forward the expenses to be considered for coverage. It was gratifying earlier this year to present a cheque for the federal share of those costs for $20 million. Your officials have been working again with federal officials and we are able to further assist with the ongoing costs for damage from the flooding.

I'm very pleased to announce today that the Federal Disaster Assistance Arrangements is handing over another $25 million to the province to assist with the costs from the flooding that took place here in 2005. We're pleased to work together in partnership to do that, and in just a moment, I understand we'll actually make a cheque presentation.

Thanks so much for everybody who worked together, not just during those frightful days back in 2005, but who continue to work so that we can assess damages and then come through with the federal assistance, as promised. Thank you.