Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke Member of Parliament (MP) Cheryl Gallant is speaking out after comments made by the Environment Minister. Gallant says telling people to pack up and move is wrong.
In a recent CBC interview, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault talks about working to relocate residents in areas that may be flooded or exposed to natural disasters.
Gallant says the government is blaming everything on climate change and now instead of using money collected from the carbon tax to help mitigate problems, residents are being told to move.
The Member of Parliament for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke is also concerned that over half of the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund has already been spent with all the money going to urban centres and out east.
In a recent news release Gallant says the federal government claims all natural disasters are a result of climate change, except when it comes time to compensate victims.
During a municipal candidates evening in Pembroke on October 13th, those running to be elected for City Council talked about potential solutions for the landslide victims on Moffat Street and the surrounding areas. A stabilization study to fix the problem, funded through the City of Pembroke, shows an estimated cost of $16-million to make the river banks safe again. Candidates talked about advocating for provincial and federal funding, shoring up key areas of the Muskrat and Indian Rivers, guaranteed loans, creating emergency funds or buying back homes.
(written by: Rudy Kadlec)
