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Manitoba is providing flood-affected residents with a $500 cash advance beginning, Premier Wab Kinew announced Friday.
Cheques will be accompanied by a letter describing the next steps for disaster financial assistance (DFA) applications. Residents who filled out the initial DFA form will receive the cash, he said.
Forty-eight communities in Manitoba have declared flood-related states of local emergency – including several in the Parkland region, such as the Town of Swan River and the City of Dauphin.
Kinew visited the Swan River on July 2, shortly after it flooded.
“When I was in Swan River, a man approached the mayor and I. And he was quite upset. His home, obviously, was damaged by having a torrent of water rushing through it and he was very, very worried and stressed out,” Kinew said, describing why the province is providing the cash advance.
Currently, the premier said his priority is helping families emotionally and financially recover.
“To these 1,800 of our fellow Manitobans, we have our finance department and EMO (Emergency Management Organization) working through the weekend to put money into your hand,” he said.
This shift from a one-time lump sum payment once an application is approved to the $500 provided upfront is the result of worsening storms requiring more intense repairs, Kinew said.
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As severe weather becomes more common due to climate change, the premier said he felt it is important for the province to adapt. Kinew said he will raise the issue at a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and other premiers “in a couple weeks.”
“I think our recent experience in Manitoba is showing the average person out there in rural Canada (or) in urban communities has a different expectation today.”
Manitoba’s government is also launching flood fundraising. The province will match all donations to the Canadian Red Cross, with an initial provincial allocation of $15 million, Kinew said.
Residents who are not eligible for DFA can still receive donated funds, the premier added.
The Red Cross, as well as teams from Team Rubicon, are offering assistance in the region, with additional Team Rubicon members en route, according to the director of the province’s Emergency Management Organization, Christine Stevens.
“Recovery efforts are being closely coordinated among many volunteering organizations in the region,” said Stevens.
“Work is happening to align and coordinate those activities to ensure there is maximum support and to avoid duplication.”
Flood-affected communities will also receive financial aid from the province, she said.
Twelve communities who were hit by the June 6-8, June 9-10, or June 28-July 1 storms will receive $7.8 million of DFA funds, Stevens said, adding municipalities are also receiving advice and other support.
Estimated figures on the number of homes affected or displaced residents could not be provided, she said.
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