Issue Analysis (1)

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1 Flooding and Fires in British Columbia: what it means for the future of west coast Canadians POLS2300 Issue Analysis Friday, March 25th, 2021 Prof. Julie Simmons Finn Sorhaug - 1179482

2 Table of Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. Page 3 Issue Summary …………………………………………………………………… Page 4-5 Issue Analysis …………………………………………………………………….. Page 6-8 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………… Page 9 References ……………………………………………………………………….. Page 10-13

3 Introduction to flooding and fires in British Columbia: why is it getting so bad? Natural disasters such as forest fires and flooding events have always been a part of British Columbia’s environment. Its coastal environment is located along the ring of fire and the Canadian Rockies have made its environment wild and untamed. Devastating events have destroyed forests and local communities since settlers first reached B.C. It was just part of living on the coast, in its rugged and untamed natural environment. However, in recent times the floods and fires have gotten more severe and more frequent, causing increased fear within local communities and questions about what can be done. There are many reasons why the fires and floods happen but there is one key cause that has emerged in reason times. That being climate change, climate change is often cited as one of the main drivers of the increasing rate of natural disasters. As we now know we are likely beyond the point of no return when it comes to warming the earth unless drastic measures are taken and implemented quickly to drastically reduce our current greenhouse gas emissions around the world. With this past summer one of the hottest on record, the big question that remains is: so what can we do for British Columbians? There have been many solutions proposed, but none will be easy. Throughout this paper, we will explore the terrible fire season that happened last summer, how various advocacy groups affect B.C, how regional and economic interests tie in, how political divisions affect B.C, and how Canadian federalism can affect response times.

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4 Issue Summary This past summer was the hottest on record in British Columbia. It has been described as “a year of unprecedented weather extremes in B.C.” (Little, 2021). It first started in late June when temperature records were broken over 1000 times (Little, 2021)! Temperatures exceeded thirty degrees in coastal regions of British Columbia and were more than forty degrees in Central areas of B.C. Given that British Columbia is a coastal province, temperatures as hot as this are rarely seen. Most British Columbians located on the coast have never had air conditioning, and this made it especially dangerous for them. The death toll this summer because of heat was record- breaking, with almost 600 people dying this past summer from heat-related issues (Chan, 2021). Moreover, the Canadian heat record was also set this past summer in B.C with a 49.6-degree temperature measured in Lytton B.C (Little, 2021). The B.C government has come under fire for their handling of the heat waves. One particular remark made by the B.C government was heavily criticized when NDP premier John Horgan said “Fatalities are a part of life and there’s a level of personal responsibility” (Meissener, 2021). This statement was heavily criticized for multiple reasons. One of them was that multiple reports had been released that showed the B.C government’s response failed to help the elderly and the disabled which made the risks much more extreme for those groups. B.C did not have a heat response plan to provide people with access to air-conditioned areas where they could cool down. While this was described as a one in a thousand-year event, rising concerns of climate change effects mean this could happen more

5 often. Effects of heat were not just on the elderly and the disabled, as the heat waves contributed to an especially deadly wildfire season. It wasn’t the worst on record, but it still was extremely destructive. In total 1,610 separate wildfires burned more than 86,000 square kilometres of forest. The total cost of wildfires for the year added to 565 million dollars (The Canadian Press, 2021). These fires were caused by multiple factors, the heat being the main one which was then paired with very low precipitation levels. Dry lightning was also seen as a result of low precipitation, and that is another big factor in starting wildfires. B.C had already faced a very difficult summer but that wasn’t the end of the weather swings. Next came the floods. After a very low amount of precipitation, November saw multiple precipitation records broken. This was caused by an atmospheric river which is a term used to describe heavy rainfall events that are common on the western coast. However, this particular atmospheric river dumped massive amounts of rainfall that had never been seen before in multiple regions of B.C. The massive amounts of rainfall created many flood events in low-lying areas close to river mouths. The water breached dikes and levies causing whole communities to flood and be evacuated. Another symptom of the rainfall was multiple landslides which washed out roads and killed multiple people. These floods and atmospheric rivers are caused by warmer weather. So, these events are expected to become more and more frequent as global warming effects increase. Overall, this was a terrible last year for British Columbians. Heat, fires, and floods are just going to become more and more frequent as climate change continues to affect natural weather patterns in the region. In the next section, we will explore how various advocacy groups affect B.C, how regional and economic interests tie in, how political divisions affect B.C and Canadian federalism.

6 Issue Analysis This issue of natural events happening more and more frequently can be tied to multiple different concepts tied to the course. With climate change being one of the main factors in these events becoming more and more frequent we can see how various advocacy groups affect this issue. There are essentially two very different groups associated with the issue of climate change, those who believe it’s real and those who don’t, and those groups have very different opinions on what can and should be done. The CCPA is one group that is calling for direct action on climate change and that legislature should be worked on immediately to start making the switch away from fossil fuels. They say that there is no economical or financial reason that a switch shouldn’t happen, but rather false beliefs that surround the issue (Woodside, 2021). However, another group has a very different belief about tackling the issue of climate change. The CACP is one of them as they believe Canada should not transition away from fossil fuels, and that instead, we should see ourselves as world-leading producers and exporters of fossil fuels. These two advocacy groups show starkly different opinions on what to do. However, there is actually a third group, and that is those who believe a transition should happen but it is not an urgent task. One of these is the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore petroleum board, which said that: “there’s no reason why we can’t produce oil sensibly and sustainably right up for the next 30 to 40 years” (Woodside, 2021). The issue of climate change action can be seen through the concept of advocacy groups, but it can also be seen through regional and economic interests. Provinces such as Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador both have regional and economic interests when it comes to the

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7 issue of fossil fuels and climate change. In the early 90’s the cod fishery crash hit Newfoundland and Labrador really hard. Many were left without jobs and struggling to find work, so the province started bringing in oil companies to drill for offshore oil off the coasts. This provided many people with jobs and helped the region prosper. Just recently Newfoundland and Labrador announced more than 600 million dollars in spending to subsidize the oil and gas industry (Woodside, 2021). Currently, 30-40 percent of Newfoundland’s cash reserves are from the oil and gas industry. This shows that Newfoundland has regional and economic interests to keep the oil and gas industry running whilst sweeping environmental issues such as climate change under the rug. These economic and regional interests seen in Newfoundland and Labrador are also seen in provinces like Alberta where fossil fuels remain a large part of the industry and job market. Economic and regional interests when it comes to fossil fuel production and lack of climate change action, pose big threats to British Columbians. This is because the most common predicted effect of climate change is increased temperatures. This will increase the frequency of heatwaves in B.C and atmospheric rivers which cause floods. All in all, regional and economic interests pose threats to British Columbians who are impacted by climate change. In addition to regional and economic interests, the changing political culture in Canada poses additional threats to climate change effects in B.C. Currently, the liberals, NDP, and the green party all have climate action plans which vary in urgency but all aim to help reduce our Greenhouse gas emissions. The conservative party has also supported climate action plans in the past but, new leadership could spell an end to climate action from the conservative party. Recently, Pierre Polievre who is becoming the frontrunner for the conservative announced he would cut the carbon tax if he won. Specifically, he said: “ I’m announcing today that a government led by Prime Minister Poilievre will axe the carbon tax.” (Lèvesque, 2022). ‘Axing

8 the carbon tax’ would have huge effects on Canada’s carbon output, and this would likely make climate change worse as emissions from Canada would increase. This would not be good for B.C as they face an increased frequency of damaging natural disasters. The changing nature of Canada’s political culture has recently seen Canada become more divided, the left is leaning further left and the right is leaning further right. This helps us understand the issue of fires and floods in British Columbia as we see more and more that there is a divide between the people who believe climate change is causing it and those who believe they are not caused by it. Lastly, the concept of federalism can also be used to look at the issue of floods and fires within British Columbia. The fires and floods required levels of support from both the provincial and federal governments with each providing different levels of assistance. This summer the federal government provided multiple levels of assistance from funding to extra firefighters. The provincial government was widely criticized for their responses to both the wildfire events as well as the flood events. One specific example was when a local community asked for 1.5 million dollars from the EMBC to fix a local road, but they did not hear back for days and by that point, the road was already washed out (Woo, 2021). Overall, the B.C provincial government came under fire for slow response times and too little of a response. The concept of federalism and how the federal and provincial governments interact but are not in the same chain of power help us understand this issue. This is because local groups often ask for funding, but it is coming from two different governments and this can slow down the response times. Moreover, it is quite clear that B.C communities need funding and responses quickly during natural disasters, but the way local, provincial, and federal governments currently interact is making the events worse.

9 Conclusion In conclusion, the issue of floods and fires in British Columbia is a complex one. Although one thing is clear, climate change is making these events more frequent and more severe. This past year for British Columbia showed just how bad it can get, with heat and precipitation records broken multiple times across British Columbia. It also exposed issues within the provincial and federal government’s natural disasters response plans and actions. Their responses drew widespread criticism across the province from small local communities and cities alike. Concepts discussed throughout this course help us understand why the issue is still ongoing and why there is no clear plan forward to help reduce the frequency of these natural disasters. Some of these concepts include regional and economic interests, Canadian federalism, advocacy groups, and the changing political culture in Canada. Advocacy groups show just how different the two viewpoints on climate change are. Regional and economic interests show that different regions in Canada have interests to keep the fossil fuel industry alive and running. The changing political culture in Canada shows how political divisions threaten our fight against climate change. Canadian federalism shows how the separation of our governments can cause issues in response time and a clear plan to help B.C. Overall, the issue of fires and floods in B.C is not simple, it will require a clear plan to fight climate change, increase support for B.C communities, and an understanding of how different groups see the issue of climate change and why they might see it from their point of view.

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10 References B.C.'s 2021 wildfires severe but not the worst ever, Wildfire Service Report shows . thestar.com. (2021, November 4). Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/11/04/bcs-2021-wildfires-severe-but-not-the- worst-ever-wildfire-service-report-shows.html Baum, K. B., & McClearn, M. (2021, December 8). Extreme, deadly heat in Canada is going to come back, worse than ever. will we be ready? The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-extreme-deadly-heat- in-canada-is-going-to-come-back-and-worse-will-we/ Baum, K. B., & McClearn, M. (2021, November 18). From fire to 'Atmospheric River': Why B.C. is trapped in a world of climate extremes . The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-first-fire-now-floods- why-bc-is-trapped-in-a-world-of-climate-extremes/ Baum, K. B., Semeniuk, I., & McClearn, M. (2021, August 17). B.C.'s heat wave and fires were driven by climate change, and they won't be the last. what must we do next? The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-western-canadas-deadly-heat-wave-is- driven-by-climate-change-will-it/ Chan, C. (2021, November 1). Nearly 600 people died due to record-setting B.C. Heat Wave this summer . vancouversun. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from

11 https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/nearly-600-people-died-due-to-record-setting- heat-wave-this-summer Dubé, J. (2019, June 13). As Canadian cities prepare for more deadly heat waves, limiting increase of climate change could save lives . nationalpost. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://nationalpost.com/news/world/as-canadian-cities-prepare-for-more-deadly-heat- waves-limiting-increase-of-climate-change-could-save-lives Hope for rain: Feds to send 200 troops, planes after B.C. makes 'urgent' wildfire plea . thestar.com. (2018, August 13). Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/08/13/pray-for-rain-bc-urges-urgent-firefighting- funds-from-federal-government.html Lévesque, C. (2022, April 1). Pierre Poilievre's 'Axe the Carbon Tax' rally draws hundreds of supporters in Ottawa . nationalpost. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/pierre-poilievres-axe-the-carbon-tax-rally-draws- hundreds-of-supporters-in-ottawa Labbe, S. (2022, February 24). The planet is facing a 'global wildfire crisis,' warns United Nations . Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from https://www.timescolonist.com/highlights/planet-faces-global-wildfire-crisis-warns-united- nations-5096280 Lalonde, M., & Reporter, L. J. I. (2021, July 15). Wildfires in B.C. prompt federal response . thestar.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/07/15/wildfires-in-bc-prompt-federal-

12 response.html Little, S. (2021, December 20). Flooding, fires and heat: A year of unprecedented weather extremes in B.C. Global News. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://globalnews.ca/news/8438007/bc-year-in-review-weather-extremes/ Meissner, D. (2021, October 6). B.C.'s inadequate response to heat wave heightened risks for Vulnerable people: Report . vancouversun. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-s-inadequate-heat-wave-supports- heightened-risks-to-vulnerable-people-report Rabson, M. (2021, October 20). More needed to prevent deaths from climate-change driven heat waves, fires: Report . The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-more-needed-to-prevent-deaths-from- climate-change-driven-heat-waves/ Woo, A., & VanderKlippe, N. (2021, December 1). B.C. Government criticized for Slow Flood Aid Response . The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-bc-government- criticized-for-slow-flood-aid-response/ Woodside, J. (2021, October 6). Industry and climate groups face off over just transition consultation . thestar.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/10/06/industry-and-climate-groups-face-off- over-just-transition-consultation.html

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