Financial Assistance Guide

1 Financial Assistance for Emergency Response and Recovery Costs A Guide for BC Local Authorities and First Nations September 2005 (revised January 2008) Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Provincial Emergency Program Financial Assistance Guide for Emergency Response and Recovery Costs Amendments Date Pages Effected Description of Change(s) September 2005 All Release of Guide to Local Authorities and First Nations August 2007 No page # 32 49 50-52 53 Title page updated - Revised August 2007 Removed PEP logo and added EMBC logo (top right) #1 DFA Registration of Intent to Claim changed to Local Government Application for Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) Removed Local Government Intent to Claim form and replaced with updated Local Government Application for DFA - Revised August 2007 Removed PEP logo and added EMBC logo (top right) January 2008 No page # No page # 9 44 50-52 57 Title page updated - Revised January 2008 Added Amendments page (before Table of Contents at the front, following the title page) Updated Equipment Rental Rate Guide (Blue Book) link from to Step 2.

2 Removed DFA Registration of Intent Claim and replaced with Local Government Application for DFA Inserted updated Local Government Application for DFA - Revised November 2007 (90-day application deadline information added to bottom of first page) Ministry of Environment - Changed WLAP to MOE and updated links for Office of the Fire Commissioner, Ministry of Forests and Range, and Equipment Rental Rate Guide (Blue Book) Table of Contents SECTION PAGE 1. 1 PROVINCIAL 2 Assistance FOR FIRST 2 COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY 3 OVERVIEW OF ELIGIBLE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY 5 2. Assistance FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY RESPONSE 6 LOCAL AUTHORITY 6 ELIGIBILITY OF RESPONSE 7 Type of 7 Event Size or 7 Nature of Expenditure.

3 7 Contract and Equipment 9 Compensation through Other 9 EOC 14 Activity 1 Obtain PEP Task 15 Activity 2 Submit Expenditure Authorization Forms to 15 Activity 3 Prepare Daily Expense 16 Activity 4 Submit Resource Requests to 17 RESPONSE CLAIM 18 Step 2 Pay 18 Step 3 Collect and Organize 19 Step 4 Prepare a Response 19 Step 5 Submit Completed Response Claim .. 21 TIPS ON MAXIMIZING Financial Assistance FOR 22 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON 23 FORMS FOR 25 3. Assistance FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY RECOVERY 33 LOCAL AUTHORITY 33 Recovery 34 COMMUNITY 34 ELIGIBILITY OF RECOVERY 34 35 Type of 35 Type of Action.

4 36 Examples of Eligible Recovery Costs .. 37 -ii- RECOVERY CLAIM 43 iii Step 1 Request Disaster Financial 44 Step 2 Complete and Submit Local Government Application for DFA 44 Step 3 Complete and Submit Recovery Plan and 44 Step 4 Complete and Submit Recovery Claim Submission and 44 Step 5 Receive Financial Assistance on Eligible 45 TIPS ON MAXIMIZING Financial Assistance FOR 46 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON 48 FORMS FOR 49 4. 56 A. I NEED HELP NOW!.. 56 B. 57 C. 58 5. 65 Provincial Emergency Program Page 1 Financial Assistance for Emergency Response and Recovery Costs A Guide for BC Local Authorities and First Nations 1.

5 Introduction The BC Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) leads the province in response to and recovery from major emergencies and disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, wildland-urban interface fires, landslides, and severe storms. Among other programs, PEP administers provincial legislation designed to minimize loss of life, reduce suffering, safeguard public health, protect property and the environment, and reduce economic and social impacts to the citizens of British Columbia. Under the Emergency Program Act and the Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation, local authorities can receive Financial Assistance for eligible emergency response costs incurred during a disastrous event, and Assistance for some post-disaster recovery costs expended to repair or restore public works and facilities that are essential to their operation.

6 Local authorities are defined by the BC Emergency Program Act to include: For a municipality, the municipal council For an electoral area in a regional district, the board of the regional district For a national park, the park superintendent or the park superintendent's delegate if an agreement has been entered into with the government of Canada under section 4 (2) (e) in which it is agreed that the park superintendent is a local authority for the purposes of this Act The Nisga a government and other First Nations are also eligible under federal legislation to receive Financial Assistance for eligible response and recovery costs. This Guide provides local authorities and First Nations in British Columbia with information on the procedures required to maximize claims for Financial Assistance with the costs of both response and recovery.

7 2. Assistance for Local Authority Response Costs Provincial Emergency Program Page 2 Provincial Legislation PEP s mandate includes minimizing the economic and social impact from emergencies and disasters. To accomplish this, PEP administers the BC Emergency Program Act and the Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation (C & DFA Regulation). Under this legislation, PEP is authorized to assist local authorities with eligible costs for response and recovery, providing there is sufficient documentation. Figure 1 illustrates that Assistance with response and recovery expenditures is provided through the Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation (C&DFA Reg).

8 Figure 1. Legislation for Assistance of Response and Recovery Costs Assistance for First Nations First Nations in BC qualify for federal Assistance . The Government of Canada and the Province of BC have agreed to work together in assisting First Nations for eligible expenditures. Through an agreement with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, claims and payments are administered through PEP for First Nations in the same manner as for local authorities. The same eligibility and documentation requirements for disaster Financial Assistance in BC that apply to local authorities also apply to First Nations. First Nations are required to prepare and submit their own claims to PEP, even if they participate with a local authority in response.

9 Local authorities are not responsible for claiming costs incurred by First Nations, even if they share emergency operations. 2. Assistance for Local Authority Response Costs Provincial Emergency Program Page 3 Comprehensive Emergency Management As many local governments know first-hand, emergencies can be expensive. The cost of responding to events can quickly reach tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. safeguarding the public, protecting property, and implementing other response objectives can require substantial short-term expenditures that may present a Financial challenge for local governments. Financial impacts can lead to a secondary crisis, especially where a facility that is critical to a public service has been impacted.

10 Not only may local authorities be hit by major response costs, they may be required to invest immediately in costly repairs or replacement. Provincial legislation and policies are designed to assist local governments that face substantial expenditures caused by an emergency or disaster. Although not all losses qualify for Financial Assistance , the province may make some funds available. In this context, it would help to define the terms response and recovery. Different legislated programs apply to these phases of an emergency, and it is important to distinguish between them. Figure 2 shows the approximate relationship between response and two types of recovery for local authorities, and suggests these phases may overlap in time.